The American Heart is Closing to Marriage and Family. Can Red States Change That?

The American heart is closing. The signs, including dramatic drops in dating, marriage, and childbearing, are all around us.  The falling fortunes of marriage and family across the nation can be traced back to cultural shifts (e.g., elite messaging celebrating “me-first” over “family-first” thinking), economic changes (e.g., young men’s eroding position in today’s workforce), and technological shifts (e.g., the ways in which social media discourages us from socializing in person and poison the relations between the sexes).

This is sobering news because we know that no group of men and women is happier now than married mothers and fathers, who are almost twice as likely to be “very happy” with their lives compared to their single, childless peers. In fact, a new study from the University of Chicago indicates the No. 1 reason that happiness rates are falling across the nation is the “decline in the married share of adults.” 

Unfortunately, most of our political and civic leaders have made their peace with the family’s falling fortunes. But there are exceptions, primarily in red states. States such as Utah and Florida, in particular, are trying to revive the fortunes of marriage and family via a range of public and civic initiatives. 

Take Florida. While the Sunshine State has not been untouched by the falling fortunes of marriage and family, with its marriage and fertility rates falling by about one-fifth in the last decade and a half, there are some encouraging policy and civic signs.

Continue reading at Washington Examiner . . . .