Cohabiting Experiences and Attitudes Living TogetherAccording to the National Marriage Project cohabiting is becoming a more popular relationship configuration in the United States. Their research indicates a sharp increase in the number of cohabiting couples in the past few years. This includes couples with children, which is the most dramatic ten-year family change documented by the 2000 census.Roughly 8.2% of the US population is in cohabiting relationships as of 2001 (US Census). However, this sample only had 116 people (4.6%) who reported “currently living together” without being married. In some ways there were not many differences between the married sample and the cohabiting sample. For example, both groups indicated that they believe their current relationship to be healthy (around 90% for both groups). Neither group overwhelmingly reported feeling as though they were “trapped in this relationship” (around 19% for both groups). Both groups had a sizeable number of individuals report that it “would be hard to imagine finding a better partner” than the one they were already with (69% for the cohabiting group and 65% for the married group). Both groups reported that having a partner with a “good education” (81% for cohabiters and 84% for married) and “a good paying job” (81% cohabiters and 87% married) is important. This is a test…This is only a testMuch like the neighbors to the north in Oklahoma, a sizeable number of Texans believe that “living together before marriage is a good way to test the relationship” (42% compared to 38% in Oklahoma). However, Texans are less enamored with cohabitation than Americans in general—60% of whom believe living together before marriage is a good way to test a relationship, according to a national survey. For the sample, smaller numbers of non-Hispanic respondents and those 45 years and older (38% and 32% respectively) believe that it is a good idea to live together prior to marriage.Hispanics and those in the younger cohort reported that cohabitation prior to marriage was a good idea (53% and 58% respectively) at a much higher rate than others. Further analysis revealed that men are more inclined to believe that living together is a good idea when compared to the women in the sample. However, of the unmarried Texans surveyed only 34% agreed with the statement that “just living with my partner, I can get all the benefits of being married.” Additionally, the group was fairly evenly split with 48% agreeing that their lives “would be fuller and happier if” they were “married rather than staying single or just living with” their partner. Harris, S.M., Glenn, N.D, Rappleyea, D.L., Diaz-Loving, R., Hawkins, A.J., Daire, A. P., Osborne, C., & Huston, T.L. (2008). Twogether in Texas: Baseline Report on Marriage in the Lone Star State. Austin, TX: Health and Human Services Commission.
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