Public Supports Covenant Marriage Law

Item from the Smart Marriages Archive, reproduced in the Divorce Statistics Collectio n

November 23, 1998

Gallup Poll: Public Supports Covenant Marriage Law

Arecently released Gallup Poll reveals that a majority of Louisiana
residents
have not heard about Covenant Marriage. However, once the new law was
explained to them, an overwhelming majority supported the state effort to
strengthen marriage. The poll was commissioned by sociologists at Tulane
University and the University of Virginia who hope to collaborate on a 5 year
study, once funding is secured, that will measure the effects of the covenant
marriage law on the state's divorce rate.

The poll, which used a reflective sampling of Louisiana residents,
asked,
"Have you heard anything at all about something called 'covenant marriage'?"
Only 43% of poll respondents indicated that they had. A follow-up probe asked
if respondents remembered a covenant marriage law being passed in August of
1997. Just over a third (35%) did. So the majority of Louisiana adults
remain unaware that a covenant marriage option even exists.

The minority who had heard of covenant marriage were asked a series of
questions about the law's provisions. Most knew that the law lets people
choose between covenant and conventional marriages and most were also aware of
the law's premarital counseling provisions. But a majority were not aware
that married couples could convert or "opt-in" to covenant marriage.

Opinion about the concept of covenant marriage was very favorable.
When
asked whether covenant marriage was a good idea or not, about 25% said it was
really too soon to tell; among the remainder, 81% [i.e., 61% of the total
responding] said that it was a "good
idea" or a "very good idea." Likewise, 56% of respondents would have a
favorable or very favorable reaction to their own child choosing a covenant
marriage and an additional 27% said it would make no difference to them. In
addition:

· 63% agreed that covenant marriage will strengthen family life
· 58% agreed that covenant marriage will be better for children
· 59% agreed that covenant marriages will last longer

The poll found that most Louisianaians believe readily
available "no-fault
divorces" have created a culture that has destroyed the values that make for
stable marriages. Nearly 95% of those surveyed say divorce is a very serious
or somewhat serious problem.

State Rep. Tony Perkins (R-Baker), author of the Covenant
Marriage law, said
he was not surprised by the poll's findings. "As I have traveled the state in
the last 12 months I have found that most people are still not aware of
Covenant Marriage, but once they're introduced to the idea they think it's
great," Perkins said. "When you put aside political and social differences
you find, with few exceptions, people support marriage and family and that is
what covenant marriage is about," Perkins added.

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