四成美國人認爲結婚已過時

Almost four in ten American couples now believe that marriage is becoming obsolete, according to a new survey published yesterday.

More than ever before, people in the US are coming to believe that wedding bells aren’t necessary for a happy family.

With US census figures revealing that marriages for adults eighteen and over were at an all-time low of 52 per cent, an increasing number of children are growing up out of wedlock.

The Pew Research Centre poll, carried out with Time magazine, showed that nearly one in three American children are now living with a parent who is divorced, separated or never married.

That’s a five-fold increase from 1960. Broken down further, about 15 per cent have parents who are divorced or separated and 14 per cent who were never married.

Within those two groups, a sizable chunk – 6 per cent – have parents who are live-in couples who opted to raise kids together without getting hitched.

The 39 per cent of Americans who now think marriage is on the way out is a significant increase from 1978, when just 28 per cent felt that way.

When asked what constitutes a family, the vast majority of Americans agree that a married couple, with or without children, fits that description.

But four of five surveyed pointed also to an unmarried, opposite-sex couple with children or a single parent. Three of five people said a same-sex couple with children was a family.

‘Marriage is still very important in this country, but it doesn't dominate family life like it used to,’ said Andrew Cherlin, a professor of sociology and public policy at Johns Hopkins University.

The changing views of family are being driven largely by young adults 18-29, who are more likely than older generations to have an unmarried or divorced parent or have friends who do.

But economic factors, too, are playing a role.

It was a sharp one-year increase that analysts largely attributed to people unwilling to make long-term marriage commitments in the face of persistent unemployment.

Still, the study indicates that marriage isn't going to disappear anytime soon.

Despite a growing view that marriage may not be necessary, 67 per cent of Americans were upbeat about the future of marriage and family.

根據昨天發佈的一項新調查，如今近四成美國情侶認爲結婚正在變得過時。

越來越多的美國人開始認爲結婚並不是保證家庭幸福的必要條件，持這一觀點的人數之多前所未有。

美國人口普查統計數據顯示，美國成人（18歲及以上）的結婚率達到歷史新低，僅爲52%。越來越多的孩子是在父母沒有結婚的環境中成長的。

由皮尤研究中心與《時代》雜誌共同開展的這項調查顯示，近三分之一的美國兒童目前同離異、分居或從未結過婚的單親父母生活在一起。

這一比例自1960以來增長了5倍。經過進一步分類發現，大約15%的孩子的父母已經離婚或分居，14%的孩子的父母從未結過婚。

在這兩組人中，還有6%的孩子的父母選擇同居並一起撫養孩子但不結婚，這種情況的孩子也佔據了不小的比例。

現在有39%的美國人認爲結婚正在變得過時，持這一觀點的人相比1978年是顯著增多了，那時候只有28%的人這麼想。

當被問及組成家庭的要素時，大多數美國人都認爲，不管有沒有孩子，結了婚就算組建了家庭。

但也有五分之四的被調查者認爲，沒有結婚但有孩子的異性伴侶或單親父母也組成了家庭。五分之三的人稱，有孩子的同性伴侶也算作家庭。

約翰•霍普金斯大學社會學與公共政策系教授安德魯•徹林說，“婚姻在這個國家依然非常重要，但它不像過去那樣主導家庭生活。”

家庭觀念的變化主要是由18歲到29歲的年輕人帶動的。相比往代人，這些人父母未婚或離婚的更多，處於這種情況的朋友也更多。

另外，經濟因素也產生了影響。

分析人士認爲，之所以在一年之內會有這麼急劇的變化，很大一部分原因在於持續高失業的局面讓人們不願意做出長期的婚姻承諾。

儘管如此，研究表明，婚姻這種形式絕不會很快消失。

雖然越來越多的人認爲不一定要結婚，但仍然有67%的美國人對婚姻和家庭的未來持樂觀態度。

Vocabulary:

upbeat: positive and enthusiastic; making you feel that the future will be good （樂觀的；快樂的；積極向上的）