2026
More marriage and parenthood among religious Americans
If you stepped into a church this past Easter and found an abundance of families, it was likely no coincidence. Data from the General Social Survey show that adults who frequently attend religious services are more likely to be married (58% vs. 41%) and have children (69% vs 55%). Notably, religious adults are also more likely to report being very happy (28% to 19%). This squares with research from a recent IFS study showing that religious young men are roughly three times more likely to be married and twice as likely to be parents than their secular peers, possibly explaining why religious young men report feeling they’ve reached adulthood at higher rates. Taken together, the data suggests a connection between faith, family, and well-being.
Ever married adults are happiest, regardless of age married
Influencers on both the Left and the Right tell young Americans that marriage is simply not worth the trouble. In their opinion, it is better to stay single than risk divorce down the line. But the data suggests the opposite. Adults between 45 and 65 who had ever married were substantially more likely to report being “very happy” than those who had never married, according to the General Social Survey. Notably, this held true regardless of age first married. In this sample, 37% of adults married between 18 and 21 reported being very happy in middle age, compared to just 19% of middle-aged adults who had never married.
Young men doubt the worth of attending college
Young women now outpace young men in educational attainment. As of 2023, 45% of women ages 25 to 29 had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to only 35% of men the same age. In our America's Demoralized Men report, we found that young men largely do not see the point of going to college. Approximately 77% of non-college educated men ages 18 to 29 say that that they can find interesting work without a degree and another 56% agree that colleges have become too woke or progressive, views even college-educated men largely share. These findings may explain why two thirds of young, non-college-educated men assert that college is “not worth the cost of money and time these days.”
Moms and dads find parenting most difficult at different child ages
People often wonder at what age children are most difficult. Using data from our recent survey of 24,000 parents, we get a clear answer: for moms, parenting feels very hard with a newborn in the house, and peaks when young children are entering school. For dads, 1-year-olds are especially difficult, but teenagers pose the greatest challenge. While there are some spikes in parenting difficulty at young ages, the hardest parts of parenting appear to be when children are making major transitions in their relationships with their parents—moms have a hard time as their children start to develop wider social worlds beyond the home, and dads have a hard time as children start to leave the protective space of the household.
Mothers earn a rising share of household income
As recently as 1968, family income was typically earned entirely by the father. But from 1968 to 2000, families saw a dramatic change in who brings in the money. By 2000, the median married family household had the mother earning 29% of the family income. Moms have since continued to make gains in household income. Today, the typical married family household has dads making 66% of household earnings, with moms making the other 34%. This trend is largely driven by mothers working more hours overall.
Preference for political compatibility is split by partisanship
How picky is America’s rising generation when it comes to dating and marriage? New research from Wendy Wang, IFS Director of Research, shows that liberal young adults are more likely to prize political compatibility than their conservative peers. Specifically, 60% of liberal women ages 18 to 29 said it is “very important” for their life partner to share their political views. This compares to 47% of young liberal men, 37% of young conversative men, and 36% of young conservative women who prioritize an ideological match with a life parter. Earlier research from Wang shows that political “mixed” couples are less likely to be satisfied with their marriages, with one caveat: couples of one Democrat and one Republican are about as happy as politically-aligned Democrat or Independent couples.
American Voters Support State-Level AI Regulation
The White House has taken a stand against AI regulation bills in Florida and Utah that would require safeguards for minors, including transparency measures mandating that AI companies publish child safety plans. However, a 2026 IFS brief on voter opinions toward AI reveals that Americans think differently. While the administration seeks to block state-level intervention, Americans express strong bipartisan support for firm guardrails, with over 60% of Trump and Harris voters backing state regulation of AI. Moreover, 82% of Harris voters and 77% of Trump voters think that tech companies should be held liable for child harm. These findings demonstrate that a clear bipartisan majority supports stronger state regulation to ensure that AI develops safely, especially when it comes to protecting children.
Young married men and women are the happiest
Among men and women ages 22 to 35, married young adults are the happiest. 34% of young married men reported being “very happy” as opposed to “pretty happy” or “not too happy.” This compares to just 14% of unmarried men. Likewise married young women are significantly happier than their unmarried peers: 41% of married women ages 22 to 35 report being very happy, compared to just 16% of young, unmarried women. Some evidence suggests that this is partly a selection effect—happier people are more likely to marry. But analysis from IFS senior fellow Lyman Stone shows that, yes, marriage makes people happier.
Most Kids Aren’t Allowed to Venture Far By Themselves
How far do you let your kid walk alone? A newly released report from IFS scholars Lyman Stone, Michael Toscano, and Ken Burchfiel shows how far parents allow their children to walk or bike unaccompanied. 14-year-old children are typically allowed to walk less than half of a mile from home. Even for 17-year-olds, most parents do not allow their child to walk more than a mile away from home. The report finds that children raised to be more independent, with greater freedom to venture from home alone, and less tech time have better mental health outcomes. At the same time, the authors find that parents are more likely to report that parenting is hard when raising their children in more independent and low-tech households.
Teenagers Are Less Social than Decades Past
The social landscape among teenagers has changed drastically over the past four decades. American high schoolers are going out less and spending more time alone. In the 1980s, 88% of high school seniors reported visiting friends at least weekly. Just 69% of teens today report the same. Likewise, 74% of '80s teens reported going to parties at least monthly. Today, just 44% of high schooler report the same. What are modern American teens doing instead? Spending more time alone. Whereas 43% of high school seniors from the 1980s report spending an hour of leisure time alone daily or near daily, three-in-four today report this frequent time alone. All of this points to a broader retreat from social life among the rising generation.
