Convictional Christians have healthier marriages

Research conducted over the past decade indicates a negative perception of marriage in American society. Areas of concern include plummeting marriage rates, delaying marriage to the mid-30s or later, and a higher incidence of divorce.

However, in July 2025, Focus on the Family (FOTF) released its Marriage Health in America: A State of the Family Study incorporating data from noteworthy sources such as the Pew Research Center and the U.S. Census Bureau. The findings painted a much brighter picture of the state of marriage, compared to research from recent years. The most optimistic picture of marriage was noted especially for one group: practicing Christians.

As stated in the study, “Our survey was designed to capture a broad national snapshot of marriage quality and satisfaction, and then to drill down and discover whether religious faith – and more specifically, living as a committed, practicing Christian – might impact marriage health.”

In this study, the term health, is defined by the longevity, commitment, and flourishing of relationships, rather than simply by satisfaction or happiness.

The Christian difference

The reality of reduced marriage rates in the United States was the motivation for compiling the Marriage Health study, explained Dr. Robert S. Paul, vice president of FOTF’s Marriage Institute. Paul is a writer, speaker, and former professor specializing in marriage and family counseling.

While FOTF initially sought to uncover troubling trends in marriage, its findings were more positive than anticipated, particularly for the Christian experience of marriage. One unique factor of the Marriage Health study is that it separated respondents into the following categories:

Non-Christians – those who do not identify as Christian

Nominal Christians – those who identify as Christian in name only

Born-again Christians – those who have a personal commitment to Jesus Christ through acceptance of Him as their Savior

Convictional Christians – born-again Christians who attend religious services at least monthly and who read, listen to, or pray with the Bible independently (outside of church) at least weekly. Convictional Christians also agree with the statement: “If my thoughts or actions do not line up with what the Bible teaches, the Bible is right, and I am wrong.”

Reversing the trend

When FOTF accounted for these different levels of faith commitment and practice, the survey gained significant weight in pointing to the influence and outcomes that Christian values have on marriage.

Respondents rated their marriages on a seven-point health scale (ranging from “very healthy” to “very unhealthy”). Per these ratings, FOTF found that 74% of the marriages of all respondents were considered “healthy.” Among convictional Christians, the percentage of healthy marriages increased to 82%.

Furthermore, just 10% of all respondents were currently divorced, while 23% had ever been divorced. Convictional Christians have a 39% lower probability of being currently/ever divorced when compared to the other groups. And while 21% of all marriages included in the survey were described as “in crisis,” that percentage fell to 17% among born-again Christians, and 13% among convictional Christians.

When considering these statistics, the Marriage Health study not only revealed more hope for successful marriages than has been reported in recent years, but it also highlighted the huge impact of genuine Christian faith.

Paul indicated that studies often compare only two broad categories: people who claim to have faith and those who do not. “But,” Paul stated, “we saw a significant difference just between someone who considers themselves born-again and those in the convictional Christian category who are really living out their faith – and they had the highest healthy marriage numbers by a decent margin.”

The game-changers

The survey went beyond cataloguing results. It evaluated lifestyles, actions, and attitudes that affected marriage health. While the study named 32 “drivers” toward a healthy marriage, three of the top five were shared across the groups surveyed. They included trust, love for each other, and listening to each other. For convictional Christians, two additional drivers were unique to them: shared spiritual beliefs/practices and a lifelong commitment to their marriage. These specific drivers influence longevity of relationships.

“For convictional Christians, shared spiritual beliefs and practices, praying together, love for each other, lifelong commitment to their marriage, and really listening to each other were the primary things that set them apart from couples who weren’t doing well in their marriages,” Paul said.

While a lived-out faith shared by both spouses made a defining difference in the overall health of marriages for convictional Christians, the study also stated that “convictional Christians rank highest in every single one of the 32 [positive] marriage areas in the study, with born-again Christians often ranking second. Clearly, a commitment to Christian faith and practice makes a positive contribution to healthy marriage outcomes.”

“For most things in life, not just marriage, we encounter problems and challenges, and usually it is required of us to persevere through, find a solution, and put in some energy to overcome the problem,” Paul explained.

That is not to say that FOTF advocates that couples suffer through unhappy marriages and unpleasant circumstances with no remedies.

“There is a way out,” Paul added. “There is a way to get to a better place. And with God’s help, He is certainly more than able to help you get from a challenge to something that you can feel really good about.

“Because FOTF’s definition of a great marriage is nothing short of two people who each feel great about the relationship and great about the direction it’s headed. We’re convinced that God’s intent for us as Christians is to thrive in our relationships and show the world what’s possible.”