Census Data Reveals Re-Marriage Rate on the Rise
Published at | Updated at
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — If the last wedding you went to felt like deja vu, it may be not be just the trendy buffets and cocktails. A growing number of Americans are saying ‘I do’ more than once.
An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released on Friday by the Pew Research Center revealed that four in 10 new marriages in 2013 included at least one or both partners who had previously wed.
While marriage itself is in decline in the U.S., “previously married people are as willing as ever to jump back into wedlock,” noted the study.
There are currently 42 million Americans who have taken multiple strolls down the aisle — triple the number in 1960. Reasons behind the rise in recurring nuptials can be attributed to both an increased life expectancy and an increase in couples splitting up in the first place.
“Divorce has grown much more common in the last 50 years or so,” said Pew’s senior researcher Gretchen Livingston. “What this means is, there are a lot more people who are ‘available’ for remarriage. And aging has also contributed to the increase — the older you are, the more likely you are to have ever remarried. In 1960, 46 percent of adults were ages 45 or older, and now that number is 53 percent.”
But while Baby Boomers are happy to take a second spin to the wedding chapel, another trend revealed by the data is that younger generations are less inclined than they used to be.
“Over the last 50 years, the age pattern in the likelihood of remarriage has shifted dramatically,” said Livingston. “In 1960, almost three-fourths of previously married adults younger than 55 had ever remarried, as compared with 42 percent of older adults. Since that time, there has been a retreat from remarriage among younger people.”
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio