From the Press Release
Oxygen Media (http://www.oxygen.com/) today released a study, conducted by uSamp, examining American’s views towards young love, marriage and divorce. The results confirm there is a disconnect between perception and reality when it comes to love and marriage, and the effects of young love can often transcend age, gender, and generation:
- 82 percent of adults think you can be too young to get married, with the biggest reason being you haven’t learned enough about yourself yet (79 percent).
- However, 68 percent of Americans got married between the ages of 15-25 and both men (42 percent) and women (43 percent) feel the ideal age to be married is between the ages of 21-25.
- Even though 75 percent of adults fell in love between the ages of 15-20, 72 percent say they did not stay together with that person. · Half of Americans think the person you marry is not necessarily your soul mate, with divorced respondents (37 percent) and married respondents (44 percent) agreeing.
- Almost a quarter of adults (24 percent) say they knew they would marry their mate the first time they saw them.
The study coincides with Oxygen’s emotional four-part special event, “Too Young To Marry?,” (http://too-young-to-marry.oxygen.com/) premiering on Wednesday, September 11 at 10 PM ET/PT, which follows opinionated teen couples who are determined to walk down the aisle with or without the blessing of their family and friends.
Men vs. Women
- More men (58 percent) first fall in love between the ages of 15-17, compared to only 38 percent of women.
- Women are more likely to know earlier on in relationships if they’ll marry the person they’re with after just one year (43 percent), versus only 18 percent of men.
- Most men (58 percent) would pick the same person at an older age as they would have chosen when they were younger. However, this is a stark contrast compared to women, who say they would not choose the same person (61 percent).
- 43 percent of men agree that you only have one true love, while only 36 percent of women agree.
Young Love vs. Mature Love
Young women (ages 18-34) tend to fall in love the fastest with 52 percent saying they fell in love in less than six months between the ages of 18-34, whereas only 44 percent of older women (ages 35-49) fell in love under six months. Overall the study shows that wisdom comes with age and people’s perceptions of love change as they grow up:
- 76 percent of older women (ages 34-49) believe in love at first sight, while younger women (ages 18-34) are less likely to believe in the phenomenon (61 percent).
- Only 21 percent of adults who fell in love young, are currently still with their first love. However, 43 percent of adults who waited until they reached their 20’s to fall head-over-heels are still with that person.
- 63 percent of Americans say it’s necessary to learn from bad relationships before you find “the one.”
- 52 percent of adults say they learned the difference between love and infatuation over the years. However, 61 percent of young women (ages 18-34) believe infatuation can be real love, while only 49 percent of older women (ages 35-49) say it’s not.
Generational Changes in Love & Relationships
More than half of men and women (61 percent) agree that love and relationships have changed over the years and are less genuine now than they used to be. Compared to previous generations
- 93 percent of adults think divorce is much more common now.
- Furthermore, 77 percent agree that infidelity is more common today, with 37 percent of divorced adults saying cheating was the cause of their divorce.
- 95 percent of women think being a single parent is more common.
- 87 percent of adults agree that love is more diverse now than in previous generations.
- 65 percent of adults think love is harder to find now than it used to be
- 60 percent of adults agree that relationships used to be less complicated, but on the bright side, are generally more fulfilling now (63 percent).
Who Makes The Most Impact?
Young adults most often look to their parents for guidance on how to handle relationships, with 43 percent saying their parent’s relationship had the biggest impact on their own perception of love.
- Half of Americans (50 percent) say their parents are not happily committed to each other anymore.
- 30 percent of adults say their parents’ relationship has made them more committed to making their own romantic relationship work.
- The most important factor in a relationship for American’s is shared beliefs and values (52 percent), followed by laughter (31 percent).
About “Too Young To Marry?”
“Too Young To Marry?” airs on Wednesdays at 10 PM ET/PT on Oxygen, with new episodes airing weekly. The four-part special follows opinionated teen couples who are determined to walk down the aisle with or without the blessing of their family and friends. With parents threatening to disown them, siblings accusing them of making the biggest mistake of their lives and friends pulling them in opposite directions, these young lovers must battle the odds to prove that age is just a number and love is all that matters.
“Too Young to Marry?” is produced by A. Smith & Co with Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, Frank Sinton and Adriane Hopper serving as executive producers.