Item from the Smart Marriages Archive, reproduced in the Divorce Statistics Collection

December 17, 1998

Denver (AP) - Coloradans would sacrifice careers and luxuries for a happy, lasting
marriage, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The survey, conducted by the Rocky Mountain Family Council, a family advocacy group, questioned 400 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Survey participants were asked if they could be promised one of the following, would they choose a nice home, a fulfilling career, a comfortable retirement, a satisfying lifelong marriage, or happy children.

According to the survey, 35 percent of the respondents chose a satisfying lifelong marriage, the same number that chose happy children. Only 14 percent said they would choose a comfortable retirement, and 6 percent a fulfilling career. Three percent would most desire a nice home and seven percent did not respond.

Those questioned were also asked if they had to sacrifice one thing what would it be.
Ninety-seven percent said they would sacrifice any other lifelong goal than give up satisfying marriage. Forty-nine percent said they would give up a nice home and another 28 percent said they would sacrifice a fulfilling career.

"No one ever goes to his grave saying, 'I wish I had worked longer hours." Said McMillen,
president of the Rocky Mountain Family Council. "Our hope is that our survey will encourage Coloradans to make the tough choices necessary to ensure that their dreams of a satisfying, lifelong marriage and happy kids become reality."


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