Money not the main reason why Americans miss out on marriage

Money is not the main reason Americans who desire marriage remain single, according to a recent survey by the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute.

A survey of single Americans ages 55 or younger who desire marriage found that “it is hard to find the right person to marry” (58%) and “not ready for the commitment” (33%) are the top two reasons cited.

In contrast, only about a quarter of unmarried adults chose economic reasons, such as “can’t afford a wedding” or “don’t have a good job.”

The top two reasons for singleness are the same for those who make $100K+ a year as for those whose income falls below $50K.

Income does make a difference in a few areas: Nearly 3 in 10 lower-income unmarried adults cited “Can’t afford a wedding” as one reason they are single. Lower-income singles are also more likely than singles with higher income to cite lacking a good job as a reason for not being married (23% vs. 15%). On the other hand, higher-income singles are much more likely than their counterparts with lower incomes to cite working too much as a reason. A third of higher income singles said that they are “too focused on work to get married,” compared with 17% of lower-income singles.

The so-called “marriage penalty” also plays a much more significant role among lower income adults who are not married.