California Survey Finds Marriage Strengthening is a Bi-Partisan issue - 1/28/08

[Smartmarriages]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Patty Howell, VP of Media Relations, CHMC
TEL: 760-436-3960    CELL:  760-688-6116
EMAIL: Patty at CaliforniaMarriages.org


Marital Breakdown a Bipartisan Issue in California

New Survey Shows California Concern about Issue Candidates Aren¹t Addressing
January 28, 2008‹With California¹s Presidential primary only one week away,
new information released today by the California Healthy Marriages Coalition
shows that 81 percent of Californians believe that divorce is a serious
national problem in the United States. The California Marriage Baseline
Survey reveals widespread concern about the health of America¹s marriages,
resonating among 90.7 percent of Republicans, 76.1 percent of Democrats and
78.9 percent of Independents, yet marital breakdown isn¹t being addressed by
any of the leading Presidential candidates.
 
Dennis Stoica, president of the California Healthy Marriages Coalition,
finds this surprising.  ³Marital breakdown spirals many families towards
poverty, and each divorce costs upwards of $30,000 in taxpayer dollars for
numerous related social services. Even more devastating is the tremendous
negative impact that divorce has on kids. Marital breakdown is correlated
with many difficult social problems we face, and I believe that whichever
candidate addresses this issue most successfully will find a positive
response from California voters.²

The California Marriage Baseline Survey, conducted in January 2008, found
that 95 percent recognize fathers to be as important as mothers for the
proper development of children. Carolyn Rich Curtis, Ph.D. of the Sacramento
Healthy Marriage Project concurs, ³Even from infancy, having an involved
father is essential for a child¹s social and emotional development. The
meaning of this around marriage is that the best way to ensure that fathers
stay involved with their kids is for them to be in a healthy marriage with
their children¹s mother.² The survey shows that 91.4 percent of
Conservatives, 80.4 percent of Moderates, and 70.6 percent of Liberals agree
that it is better for children to be raised in a household by a married
mother and father, all other factors being equal. This is a problem, given
America¹s current 49 percent divorce rate.
 
³Divorce is now a solvable problem,² says Stoica. ³We know how to help
couples succeed in their relationships. Marriage Education classes teach
skills proven to help couples create and sustain successful marriages. There
is strong evidence that skill-based classes help couples thrive in their
relationship together. We believe that Marriage Education is an important
success ingredient for all couples, and we¹re pleased but not surprised to
learn from our survey that Marriage Education has a 93 percent satisfaction
rate from couples.²
 
The California Healthy Marriages Coalition (CHMC) offers zip code access to
a wide variety of local Marriage Education classes throughout the state at
www.CaMarriage.com <http://www.camarriage.com/> . CHMC is a pioneering
non-profit organization that works throughout California to improve the
well-being of children by strengthening the relationship of parents through
Marriage Education and Relationship Skills classes.

The California Marriage Baseline Survey was conducted in January 2008 by
phone interviews with 2,005 California adults by Interviewing Services of
America.  Response accuracy is within 2.2%.

#######################
California Marriage Baseline Survey Findings
  
Release January 28, 2008

MARRIAGE & DIVORCE IN CALIFORNIA

- Californians Place a Strong Value on Marriage
o     86% of Californians believe that marriage is not an old fashioned,
outmoded institution.
o     Agreement: Republicans, 92.5%; Democrats, 84.4%; Independents, 84.8%.

- Divorce is a Major Concern for Californians
o     81% agree that ³divorce is a serious national issue in the United
States today.²
o     34% of all Californians reported having been divorced at least once.
o     People of all political parties are equally likely to have been
previously divorced. (31.8% of Republicans, 38.3% of Democrats and 36.5% of
Independents).

-  Divorce Negatively Impacts Children
o     66% of divorced Californians say their divorce has negatively impacted
their children.
o     57% of adult Californians say that their own parents¹ divorce has
negatively affected them.
Note:  See attached ³Why Marriage Matters in America² document for summary
of correlation between marital success or failure and numerous physical
health, mental health, productivity/achievement and community outcomes.
 
GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN MARRIAGE EDUCATION
-  Government Should Support Marriage Resources in the Community
o     56% agree that state and local government should provide additional
resources to help strengthen families by strengthening marriages.
o     57.4% of Conservatives, 55.8% of Liberals, and 51.2% of Moderates
agree with the above statement.
Note:  These data show that a majority of Californians believe that
government support for Marriage Education is desirable, and offer
encouragement for additional Federal funding for programs that support
Healthy Marriages. 
 
DEMAND FOR MARRIAGE EDUCATION
-  Marriage Education or Counseling Should be Required before Divorce is
Granted

o     82% of Californians agree that when a married couple with children is
considering a divorce, they should be required to attend marriage education
classes or couple¹s counseling before the divorce is granted.

o     A strong majority concur, across all political persuasions:  86.8% of
Conservatives, 80.2% of Moderates and 77.0% of Liberals agree with the
statement above.

o     75% of Californians think that if one person in a marriage wants a
divorce and the other person does not, the couple should be required to
attend marriage education classes or couple¹s counseling to try and work
through their issues before the divorce is granted.

o     A strong majority of all major political parties agree:  78.2% of
Republicans, 72.8% of Democrats and 72.0% of Independents agree with the
above statement. 

-  Couples Should Attend Premarital Education/Marriage Preparation Before
Marriage

o     85% agree ³All couples considering marriage should be encouraged to
get premarital education or marriage preparation before they marry.²

o     There is high agreement between political parties on this issue, with
87.6% of Republicans, 84.1% of Democrats and 85.2% of Independents agreeing
with the above statement.

- High Schools Should Teach Relationship Skills
o     80% agree ³Teenagers should be taught relationship skills as part of
their high school education.²
o     76.3% of Conservatives, 79.9% of Moderates and 84.2% of Liberals agree
with this statement
Note:  An overwhelming majority of Californians, across the entire political
spectrum, have strong belief in the need to increase access and
participation in Marriage Education programs and classes.
 
AWARENESS OF MARRIAGE EDUCATION RESOURCES

-  Only 42% of Californians are aware of Marriage Education resources in
their community
Note:  Awareness of Marriage Education resources is an easily solvable
problem as the California Healthy Marriages Coalition provides a statewide
clearinghouse of local Marriage Education classes at www.CaMarriage.com
<http://www.camarriage.com/>
 


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