Remember that Census data that came out a few weeks back? Newspapers around the country quickly snatched it up and ran with it proclaiming the doom and gloom realities of marriage. Fortunately, Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, Op-Ed writers for the NY Times decided to dig a little deeper into the numbers and found some interesting misconceptions. In the article they clarify:

The Census Bureau reported that slightly more than half of all marriages occurring between 1975 and 1979 had not made it to their 25th anniversary. This breakup rate is not only alarmingly high, but also represents a rise of about 8 percent when compared with those marriages occurring in the preceding five-year period.

But here's the rub: The census data come from a survey conducted in mid-2004, and at that time, it had not yet been 25 years since the wedding day of around 1 in 10 of those whose marriages they surveyed. And if your wedding was in late 1979, it was simply impossible to have celebrated a 25th anniversary when asked about your marriage in mid-2004.

Man, how numbers can dance. The great news is that marriage, while declining in number according to the data is as strong as ever. Marriages lasting past 10 years in the 90s were at a greater rate than in the 80s, and subsequently were greater than in the 70s.

Labels: news, study