If we accept the well-established premise that family formation is correlated with quality of life, a sad trend accelerated during the pandemic. New research into important measures of social capital reveals the extent of pandemic-era splintering along partisan and socioeconomic lines.
“In a pandemic-haunted world where both marriage and fertility seem especially daunting, three ingredients have emerged as signally important for family formation in the United States: money, hope, and a deep dedication to family,” a survey released Tuesday found. “And the rich, the religious, and Republicans are generally more likely to possess one or more of these ingredients, compared to their lower-income, secular, and Democrat/Independent-affiliated fellow citizens.”