The Family Research Council reports: (my bolding)
Today, at FRC headquarters, our Marriage and Religion Research Institute (MARRI) released its second annual Index of Belonging and Rejection. This year's Index took a deeper look at what an intact family means for children's poverty, educational attainment and teenage out-of-wedlock birth rates. The study found that only 46% of American children reach the age of 17 with both their biological parents married (since before or around the time of their birth). The Index of Family Belonging is highest in the Northeast (50%) and lowest in the South (42%). Family belonging is strongest among Asians (66%) and weakest among African-Americans (17%). MARRI Director Dr. Pat Fagan commented, "This year's Index of Belonging and Rejection shows that the family is hugely important in determining a child's future success or failure. The report shows that family structure is more closely linked to educational outcomes than government spending. Research at the individual family level shows that adolescents in single-parent families or stepfamilies are more likely to have out-of-wedlock births. This continues the endless cycle of broken families and childhood poverty." Clearly, the traditional, intact family matters. For a free download of the report, click here.
Me: Can you guess which state had the lowest percentage of intact families? Answer: Mississippi (34 percent). States with the highest Index of Family Belonging were Minnesota (57 percent) and Utah (56.5 percent).
Love Lift Us up Where We Belong...
Today, at FRC headquarters, our Marriage and Religion Research Institute (MARRI) released its second annual Index of Belonging and Rejection. This year's Index took a deeper look at what an intact family means for children's poverty, educational attainment and teenage out-of-wedlock birth rates. The study found that only 46% of American children reach the age of 17 with both their biological parents married (since before or around the time of their birth). The Index of Family Belonging is highest in the Northeast (50%) and lowest in the South (42%). Family belonging is strongest among Asians (66%) and weakest among African-Americans (17%). MARRI Director Dr. Pat Fagan commented, "This year's Index of Belonging and Rejection shows that the family is hugely important in determining a child's future success or failure. The report shows that family structure is more closely linked to educational outcomes than government spending. Research at the individual family level shows that adolescents in single-parent families or stepfamilies are more likely to have out-of-wedlock births. This continues the endless cycle of broken families and childhood poverty." Clearly, the traditional, intact family matters. For a free download of the report, click here.