Institute for Family Studies publishes report on churchgoing Catholic couples

The Institute for Family Studies released a report on September 25 showing that churchgoing Catholic couples report higher levels of happiness than other groups. According to the study, happiness more than doubled among spouses who attend church compared to their peers.

Brad Wilcox, a senior fellow and director of the Get Married Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, told EWTN News that 79% of churchgoing Catholics are very happily married, while 66% of nonreligious husbands and wives report the same. The report also found that 55% of churchgoing Catholics are satisfied with their sex lives, compared to 45% of nominal Catholics.

The research, which used data from the General Social Survey, CARA, YouGov, and Pew Research, indicates that churchgoers are 39% more likely to be married than their peers. Wilcox noted that churchgoing Catholics and Protestants marry more, have more children, and divorce less than secular individuals. The report suggests that parishes should increase support for large families.