Couples who are on the fence about tying the knot may want to consider new research from the Institute for Family Studies. People who are married are happier than those who are not, based on Gallup surveys of more than 2.5 million U.S. adults collected between March 2020 and November 2023.

Married adults are 20% more likely to be thriving than adults who never tied the knot.

What You Need To Know

  • People who are married are happier than those who are not, according to a Gallup survey

  • The surveys of more than 2.5 million U.S. adults collected between March 2020 and November 2023 found married adults are 20% more likely to be thriving

  • Marriage was a stronger predictor of of an individual's wellbeing than education, race, age or gender

  • The 20% wellbeing boost was the same among married men and married women

For the survey, adults were asked to place themselves on a ten-rung ladder representing their best and worst possible lives now and in five years. More than education, race, age or gender, marital status was the strongest predictor of an individual’s wellbeing. Both men and women who are married are 20% more likely to be thriving than those who never married.

The researchers said marriage itself was not necessarily the cause of a better life. People who are agreeable, emotionally stable and conscientious may be more inclined to seek marriage and to receive proposals.

While other attributes, such as having a religious preference or being Republican, boosted an individual’s likelihood of thriving, being married was an even stronger predictor.

The wellbeing boost that marriage provides was evident in a database that cross-referenced Gallup polling with U.S. Census data on married households. As marriage rates in an area increase, so does the share of the population that is thriving, according to the IFS.