The Modern American Family
Key trends in marriage and family life in the United States.
A growing share of Americans say they’ve had fertility treatments or know someone who has
42% of U.S. adults say they or someone they know has used fertility treatments. This is up from 33% five years ago.
About 8 in 10 women in opposite-sex marriages say they took their husband’s last name
Younger women, women with a postgraduate degree and Democratic women are more likely to keep their last name after marriage.
Many Americans report interacting with dead relatives in dreams or other ways
46% of Americans report that they’ve been visited by a dead family member in a dream, while 31% report having been visited by dead relatives in some other form.
Almost 1 in 5 stay-at-home parents in the U.S. are dads
In 2021, 18% of parents didn’t work for pay, which was unchanged from 2016, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
Dating at 50 and up: Older Americans’ experiences with online dating
One-in-six Americans ages 50 and older (17%) say they have ever used a dating site or app.
About half of U.S. pet owners say their pets are as much a part of their family as a human member
Most Americans (62%) own a pet, including 35% who have more than one. And nearly all U.S. pet owners (97%) say their pets are part of their family.
A record-high share of 40-year-olds in the U.S. have never been married
As of 2021, 25% of 40-year-olds in the United States had never been married, a significant increase from 20% in 2010.
About half of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults have used online dating
Lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans are far more likely than those who are straight to say they have ever used a dating site or app (51% vs. 28%).
Support for legal abortion is widespread in many countries, especially in Europe
Majorities in most of the 24 nations surveyed by Pew Research Center this spring say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
