Half (50%) of adults in Montana believe = the quality of the typical marriage has weakened over the last 30 years. In fact, only 14% believe it has improved, while 19% say it has stayed about the same and 17% are unsure. This assessment is especially sali= ent among those who frequently pray with their spouse (63% believe marriage has gotten weaker), separated/divorced M= ontana residents (61%), married women (58%), self-identified conservatives (56%), = and Republicans (57%) in the state, although it is shared by a majority of all demographic and attitudinal variables.

In this section of the report, we explore why adults in Montana= see this decline and how they personally define a strong marriage.

Why the decline?<= o:p>

When forced to rate a series of potential societal trends that may or may not have contributed to problems = in marriage today, we find more permis= sive attitudes about sex outside of marriage and about divorce are seen as two changes in our society that have contributed most to problems in marriage today.

In Montana, 50% of adults rate more permissive attitudes about sex ou= tside of marriage a 9 or a 10 on a 10-point scale as having contributed to problems in marriage. Similar= ly, 41% give more permissive attitudes = about divorce a top-two-box rating of 9 or 10 on the same scale. The resulting mean scores for thes= e top contributors are 7.8 and 7.6, respectively, which are among the highest of = the six factors tested in this survey. Though greater economic and financial pressures on families (7.6) had a score as high as these other two items, only 31% of the residents rated it a 9 or 10.<= /p>

Concern regarding changing attitudes about sex outside of marriage is more prevalent among those who are actively religious than those who are not. Those who were married by minister or rabbi (55% rate this item a 9 = or 10), Christians (54%), born-again Christians (66%), pray with their spouse (68%), and attend church frequently (61%) are more likely than their counterparts to see an increasingly liberal attitude about sex as having le= d to the problems in marriage today. This belief is also salient among older married couples (57%) and wo= men (57%) who see this as a top contributor to marital problems. Older adults (58%) and those who d= o not have a college degree (53%) are also more likely to see this as a damaging factor. Finally, couples who = have been married less than 6 years (58%) and 11 years or more (54%) are more li= kely to attribute this permissive attitude about sex to marriage problems than couples who have been married for 6-10 years (34%).

Concerning a growing acceptance of divorce in our society, almost half of the women in the state (45%), and th= ose who only have a high school education or less (46%) see this attitudinal sh= ift as a major blow to the institution of marriage. Additionally, those who attend chu= rch frequently (48%) and those who have never cohabited (44%) are also more likely than th= eir counterparts to acknowledge the negative influence that our society’s growing acceptance of divorce is having on marriage.

Partisanship and ideology also factor into this perspective. Self-identified conservatives (46%) and Republicans are more likely = than liberals and Democrats to believe this changing attitude about divorce is d= amaging marriage.

Asked about other factors contributi= ng to a decline in the quality of marriage, we find slightly lower ratings for= greater economic and financial pressur= es on families (7.6), greater time pr= essure on parents (7.5), and more perm= issive attitudes about having babies out-of-wedlock (7.3).

Almost half of the separated or divo= rced adults (45%) in Montana feel that g= reater economic and financial pressures on families have greatly contributed to the problems in marriage. Wom= en (38%) and those who do not have a college degree (35%) are also more likely= to feel this way. These responde= nts may be reacting to personal experience, since these groups tend to have gre= ater financial demands.

Greater time pressures on parents is seen as a significant contributor to problems in marriage by more women (36= %) than men (25%), married women (38%) more so than married men (26%), and mot= hers who work full-time (42%) more than mothers who work part-time (20%), or not= at all (29%). Again, personal ex= perience plays a strong role in what element a person perceives as contributing to marital problems. Respondents= aged 35 - 64 (36%), those who do not consider themselves born-again (36%), and w= ho would not remarry their current spouse (45%) also feel that greater time pressures on parents = is a great contributor to problems in marriage.

Many subgroups are polarized on the issue that more permissive attitudes about having babies out-of-wedlock have contributed to marital problems. The following group= s are more likely to believe that having = babies out-of-wedlock has hurt the institution of marriage:<= /p>

·= ; = Respondents aged 65 and older= &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 62%

·= ; = Widows = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; 55%

·= ; = Married respondents aged 50 a= nd older &n= bsp; 55%<= /span>

·= ; = Republicans &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 53= %

·= ; = Stay-at-home mothers &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 53%

·= ; = Conservatives &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 49%

·= ; = Respondents who are born-agai= n &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 49%

·= ; = Those who attend church frequ= ently &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 47%

·= ; = Respondents aged 50-64 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 47%

·= ; = Respondents rate their own marriage very strong 47%<= /span>

·= ; = Women = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; 46%

·= ; = Parents with 4 or 5 children<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 46%

·= ; = Those who do not have a colle= ge degree &= nbsp; 45%

·= ; = Those who have never cohabite= d &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 45%

·= ; = Married adults &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 44%

Overall, nearly one-third (30%) of respondents feel that a decline in religious faith and church attendance (6.8) is an important contributor= to marital problems in the United States.&nbs= p; Those who are actively religious put more weight on this item than do their counterparts: a third (33%) of Christians rate this element a 9 or 10, while only 15% of non-Christians do; half (51%) of those born-again feel th= is has been a great contributor, while only 18% of those not born-again do; th= ose who pray with their spouse (44%) are more likely than those who do not pray together (20%) to rate this factor high; and finally, those who attend chur= ch frequently (43%) are more likely those who attend infrequently (21%), and n= ot at all (16%) to rate this item a 9 or 10 on a 1-10 scale.=

Respondents aged 50-64 (39%), self-identified conservatives (36%), Republicans (41%), and Democrats (32%)= are also more likely than their cohorts to feel a decline in religious faith has negatively impacted marriages today. This sentiment is shared by women who work part-time (wives, 41%; mothers, 44%), and parents of 4 or 5 children (46%).

Finally, adults in the state give the lowest rating to more couples livin= g away from extended family (5.9) as weakening marriage today.

What is important= to a strong marriage?

A key element in assessing the condi= tion of marriage today is found in how a strong marriage is defined. To that end, we tested a series of relationship factors to determine which factors respondents consider import= ant to a strong marriage.

Overall, the first tier of attributes considered the most important to a strong marriage among Montana adults consists of commitment and communication.&= nbsp; The next grouping of relationship factors are fidelity, friendship, = and conflict resolution. Next are shared interests and goals and sexual satisfaction. Finally, the lowest rated factors = are financial security and religious faith.&nb= sp; However, with religious faith we note a higher intensity behind its importance than others in that a third (31%) give it a 9 or 10 importance rating. The following table displays these results:

FACTOR &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; MEAN &= nbsp; TOP 2

Lif= elong commitment &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = 9.5 &= nbsp; 88%

Good communication = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; 9.4 &= nbsp; 81%

Fid= elity &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 9.2 &= nbsp; 78%

Clo= se friendship &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; 9.1 &= nbsp; 75%

Abi= lity to resolve conflict = &nb= sp; = 9= .0 &= nbsp; 67%

Sha= red interests and goals = &nb= sp; = 8.1 &= nbsp; 41%

Sex= ual satisfaction &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 7.7 &= nbsp; 32%

Fin= ancial security = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; 7.2 &= nbsp; 24%

Rel= igious faith &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; 7.0 &= nbsp; 31%

Montana adults who rate their own marriage as very strong (10 on a scale of 1-10) also rate the importance of each of the above factors as higher than the overall average. These same respondents also rate lifelong commitment, good communication, close friendship, abili= ty to resolve conflict, and shared interests and goals significantly higher than do those respondents who = rate their own marriage between a 6-8 on the 10 point scale.

Other trends in how a strong marriag= e is defined demonstrate how behaviors and personal experience are reflected in attitudes and evaluations:

· In general, women, married respondents, and younger adults put a higher value on good communication than do their counterparts. Along with lifelong commitment (9.6), women rate communication (9.6) as the most important of the factors assess= ed. This is also the case for responde= nts aged 25-34 (9.7) and 35-49 (9.5). Good communication also tops the l= ist for those who are separated/divorced (9.5), particularly separated/divorced women (9.7), those engaged or cohabiting (9.6), and singles (9.5), especial= ly single women (9.8). Both youn= g married couples (9.7) and married couples 35-49 (9.5) rate good communication signi= ficantly higher than do older married couples (9.1). Those who work full-time and 50 or= more hour per week also put more emphasis on communication.

· Having a common religious faith is rated significantly higher by older respondents (8.0) than other age groups.&n= bsp; Also, Republicans (7.7) rate this element more important than do Dem= ocrats (6.8) or Independents (6.5). = Widows (8.0) and married respondents (7.1) put more emphasis on religion than do t= hose who are separated/divorced (6.0). Hence, older married respondents (7.5) rate this as more important t= han young married respondents do (6.5). Those who are actively religious also believe that religious faith is very important to a strong marriage: those born-again (8.3), couples who pr= ay together frequently (8.2), those who attend church frequently (8.1), couples who pray together infrequently (7.5), Christians (7.3), and those who attend church infrequently (6.4).

· Women put more value than men= do on several of the elements tested: = good communication (women, 9.6; men, 9.2), fidelity (women, 9.4; men, 8.9), close frien= dship (women, 9.3; men, 8.9), ability to resolve conflict (women, 9.2; men, 8.7), shared interests and goals (women, 8.4; men, 7.8), and financial security (women, 7.4; me= n, 7.0).

= ;

· There are no cases in which m= en give a higher importance rating to the items tested. However, men and women give equal importance ratings to lifelong commitment, sexual satisfaction, and common religious faith.

current cultural and public policy Considerations

While the government can not directly increase the commitment, communication, and fidelity among married couples, Montana adults generally agree that there are several things that the gover= nment could do, and stop doing, that would help families.

The majority (64%) of respondents fe= el that the state government helps the quality of family life in Montana. Only one in five (22%) feels that = the government hinders family life. Men (69%) are more likely to feel the government is helping family life more th= an women (59%), especially married men (71%) compared to married women (59%).<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Those who have at least a college education (72%) are more likely than those who have a high school education= or less (60%) to feel the government is helping families, and so are responden= ts who participated in pre-marital counseling (74%) as compared to those who d= id not (59%). Those who attend c= hurch frequently are also more likely to feel the Montana government is helping families (72%).

When asked what one thing the state government could do that it is not currently doing to help families, loweri= ng taxes (13%) topped the list. Respondents also mentioned that they would like the government to improve/help schools/education (10%), provide more/better jobs (10%), provi= de financial counseling (6%), and intervene in marriage/divorce (6%). Other mentions include general help (5%), make welfare more difficult to get (3%), support pro-family recreation (3%), and others miscellaneous comments (10%). Twelve percent (12%) of respondent= s said that the government should do nothing to help families. Thirty-one percent (31%) don’= ;t know or are unsure. (Please n= ote: when respondents are asked to give more than one response to a question, the total doesn’t always add up to 100%.)

Changing laws (13%), such as making gambling illegal and reforming welfare, topped the list when respondents we= re asked what they would like the Montana state government to stop doing that = it currently does that hinders the quality of family life in the state. Respondents also feel strongly abo= ut taxes (12%) and that government should stop cutting youth/family programs (9%). An additional 7% mention other issues such as education funding, create more jobs, and other environ= mental issues. Finally, 8% say gover= nment should reduce its size and influence. Most (55%) say that they do not know of anything that the government should stop doing.

Beyond the need for personal effort = to maintain a strong love in marriage, there are differing opinions about what legal steps should be taken to govern those who want to get divorced. A plurality (32%) of adults in the= state take the position that the law should prevent someone who wants a divorce f= rom obtaining it unless the spouse has been abusive, unfaithful, or has abandon= ed the marriage. This is in line= with the most widely accepted considerations for divorce. A complete breakdown of those legal steps accepted by adults is displayed in the following chart:

Figure 1

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As evident in the chart, roughly hal= f of adults in the state are split between allowing a divorce to someone seeking= it without penalty (24%) or allowing divorce but requiring the grantee to give= up primary custody of children and more than half of the couple’s assets (25%). Clearly, there is no g= eneral consensus on which action would be most effective when one spouse wants to = divorce and the other wants to work things out and stay together.

MARITAL HEALTH

Although people perceive the quality= of marriage to be weaker than it was 30 years ago, reported marital behaviors demonstrate its importance. I= n this section, we review the basic marital health across the state today through reported behaviors and personal assessments.

Marital Health In= dicators

A key objective of this study is to identify key indicators of marital health in the state of Montana today. We accomplish this by reviewing behavioral data related to marriage in addition to individual assessments of marital relationships. These results point to the health of marriage in the state. The factors we have selected for t= his index include the following basic questions:

1.&n= bsp; Current marital status;<= /o:p>

2.&n= bsp; Total percentage who ever have been divorced;

3.&n= bsp; Total percentage who ever have cohabited;

4.&n= bsp; Total percentage who have received pre-marital counseling;

5.&n= bsp; Respondents’ personal ratings of sexual satisfaction;

6.&n= bsp; Respondents’ personal ratings of the strength of own relationship.

While several factors certainly feed= into the health of marriage in a particular state, initially, we have identified these questions as leading indicators of marital health: =

Factor	MT Mean	MT %<= /p>
Married	--	66%
Single, never married	--	11%
Engaged	--	2%
Widowed	--	11%
Now divorce/separate	--	8%
Total been divorced	--	25%
Now cohabit	--	2%
Total have cohabited	--	21%
Pre-marital counsel	--	32%
Sexual satisfaction	7.7	41% (9-10)
Relationship strength	8.8	70% (9-10)

Given this is the pilot study in this project, we do not have past data in this format with which to compare. Tracking these behavioral indicato= rs will demonstrate movement with respect to general marital health. With the current data, there are s= everal important interactions and trends regarding certain variables that are expl= ored further below.

Marital Status Pr= ofile

As detailed above, a majority (66%) = of Montana adults are currently married, while only 11% are single and have ne= ver been married. Regionally, the MISLA/Helena/ Spokane media market has the highest percentage of married ad= ults (70%), while not a statistical difference, Butte has the lowest (59%). Other relevant statistics regarding marital status include: 46% o= f those who have been divorced or widowed at some point have remarried, 21% of adul= ts have previously cohabited, 2% of adults currently live with a significant other, and 18% of those now married at some point cohabited outside of marr= iage.

In addition to the current marital status statistics, the length of marriage, who performed the marriage, and = the presence of children provide a general profile of the state’s marital status.

First, most (69%) marriages in the s= tate of Montana are 11 years or more in length.= Twelve percent (12%) of respondents report that they have been marri= ed 6 to 10 years, 17% for 1 to 5 years, and only 1% have been married for less t= han a year. The following chart s= hows a detailed breakout of marital length in Montana: