New Study Reveals the Real-Life Cost of the Decline of Marriage and the Collapse of the Family
Institute for Family Studies and Center for Christian Virtue’s Hope and a Future report dives deep into how the breakdown of family is driving child poverty, addiction, violence, and worsening educational outcomes .
A new report measures how the decline of marriage and the rise of homes without married fathers has led to dramatic increases in child poverty, violence in our communities, and crashing educational outcomes. The report also proposes practical and attainable solutions for lawmakers, churches, and marketplace leaders to help right the course.
The 2025 Hope and a Future report from Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) reveals the disastrous effects the decline of marriage and the collapse of the family has had on Ohio and America.
CCV commissioned the Institute for Family Studies and Professor Brad Wilcox, the Melville Foundation Jefferson Scholars Foundation University Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia, to conduct the research in the report.
"At the root of what is hurting our communities is broken families," said Aaron Baer, President of Center for Christian Virtue. "The Hope and a Future report reveals some devastating realities about the challenges our children face, but also provides real solutions about righting the course in Ohio and America."
The report includes the first edition of the Family Structure Index, which ranks all 50 states according to the health of their family culture. The Index analyzes demographic and fertility data to investigate which states are home to the strongest, most stable, and most sustainable families–thereby increasing the prospects for happy and healthy children. Utah ranks at the top, and Rhode Island ranks last.
"Right now, the American dream is out of reach for too many men, women, and children across Ohio," said Brad Wilcox, author of the Hope and a Future report. "One key to saving the dream in Ohio is to strengthen and stabilize family life across the state. This is especially important because Ohio ranks 29th on the new Family Structure Index from CCV and the Institute for Family Studies (IFS)."
Six key takeaways from the Hope and a Future report
1) Ohio Ranks 29th on the Family Structure Index
Developed by Professor Brad Wilcox and Professor Nick Zill, the new Family Structure Index is designed to reveal the extent to which states have strong, stable, and sustainable families. Ohio is ranked below the national average at 29th.
2) 42% of Ohio Children Were Born to Unmarried Parents
Ohio has a higher share of children born out of wedlock than the national average, fueling marital instability.
3) 50% Child Poverty Rate in Youngstown
In Youngstown, 68% of children are born into marriage-less households, and 50% of children are in poverty. Meanwhile, in New Albany, 8% of children are born into marriage-less households, and only 4% of children are in poverty. This trend tracks across Ohio: the more marriage decreases in parenthood, the more child poverty increases.
4) Ohio Ranks 28th in On-Time Graduation
Comparatively high family instability across the state is undoubtedly one reason Ohio ranked 28th in on-time high school graduation. We know that states with a greater share of married parents have substantially higher graduation rates, even after controlling for states’ median income, race/ethnicity, education level, and age composition.
5) 12x More Violence
Ohio cities with a greater percentage of children raised in married households have far less violent crime. Compare Dublin, where 86% of children are raised by married parents, to Canton, where only 34% of children are raised with married parents. Canton experiences 12 times the number of violent crime incidents than Dublin. While many factors contribute to violence in communities, family structure is undeniably impactful.
6) 11% Decrease in Fertility Rate
Family formation is down in Ohio, as fertility falls in the state. The total number of births per year to Ohio residents has declined since 2005. The average number of lifetime births per Ohio woman (the Total Fertility Rate) has declined by 11%, from 1.9 births per woman in 2010 to 1.7 births per woman in 2022. Notably, the Total Fertility Rate is below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman.
Brad Wilcox, Nicholas Zill, Amylynn Smith and Connie Huber, "Hope and a Future: Forging Strong and Stable Families in Ohio, 2025," Institute for Family Studies, Center for Christian Virtue, February 2025.
ENDS.
Notes.
The Institute for Family Studies (IFS) is a think tank researching marriage, family life, and the well-being of children, based in Charlottesville, VA.: https://ifstudies.org/
The Center for Christian Virtue is Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, based in Colombus, OH.: https://www.ccv.org/
To join a discussion of the Hope and a Future report, register for the following online event: Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 10:00 to 11:00 am Eastern, with CCV President Aaron Baer, CCV Policy Director David Mahan, CCV Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives Peter Range, and report author IFS Senior Fellow, Brad Wilcox. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iys2YuwGQXGGGBtP8Zjqxw
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