18 percent of those over age 45 feel their marriage doesn't need to be more exciting. Although one in five Americans say romance goes out of a marriage in the first five years and 14 percent says it takes 10 years or more, over half of Americans believe romance never goes out of a marriage. 29 percent of unmarried respondents say the romance disappears from a marriage within the first five years. More About Couples Read more stories about couples and the institution of marriage. Younger Americans also believe the honeymoon is over rather quickly - a quarter of those under 30 say the romance is gone in the first five years of a marriage.
Men are a little more optimistic than women when it comes to enduring romance in a marriage.
78 percent feel arguments are good while 17 percent feel they are bad. This number has dropped since 1995 when 84 percent of Americans felt arguing from time to time was good for a marriage. Women are more likely than men to agree that arguments from time to time are a good thing in a marriage. 83 percent of women think arguing can be good, as do 73 percent of men. There are also differences when it comes to age.