It doesn’t take long before scrolling on TikTok turns from watching a silly cat video to poring over heated comment threads debating whether women should prioritize marriage or a successful career. The 50th edition of the biannual Harvard Youth Poll highlights these two divergent ideals for the “good life”: young Americans identifying as Republican place more importance on traditional goals like marriage (74% of Republicans vs. 56% of Democrats), children (70% vs. 45%), and homeownership (74% vs. 53%) than their Democrat counterparts.
However, we shouldn’t overemphasize this divide and polarisation between Republicans and Democrats: they still share similar priorities. Ninety percent of all young Americans say financial security is their top priority, a unifying response across political divisions. Thus, the data indicates a fascinating trend: while youth of both parties heavily weigh their financial future, their perceived means to achieve success differ. Some may prioritize marriage as the more viable path to fulfillment due to perceived limitations in economic mobility, while those optimistic about their career prospects may make marriage a secondary priority.
Democrats are more likely to have attained higher education, with 31% holding a college degree, compared to 22% of Republicans. They are also more likely to be hopeful that they can achieve financial independence via education. The Harvard Youth Poll shows that while 70% of respondents with a bachelor’s degree or higher are confident they’ll be financially secure, only 54% of those with a high school degree or less share this optimism. Thus, young Americans with college degrees, who are disproportionately Democrats, are less likely to perceive marriage as necessary for economic stability.
With optimism about their job prospects, college-educated young Americans may hold off on the desire for a stable marriage and long-term partner. This is supported by the polling data: 40% of college graduates from the ages 25-29 who said marriage was extremely important to them are married in contrast to 47% of non-college graduates.
However, the gap closes to 46% to 47% when the age range is expanded, accounting for those from 25 to 29 who rated marriage as extremely important. This is a common trend in college-educated women, as shown in a Brookings study on declining marriage rates. With greater opportunity to pursue employment outside of the domestic context, and the ability to be more particular in selecting a spouse, as suggested by lower divorce rates among those who marry later, there is less pressure to depend on marriage for economic and financial security.
The desire to seek economic advancement before marriage is likely a function of the high price of marriage. In 2025, the average wedding costs $36,000, almost comparable to the average student loan debt of $38,375. The exorbitant cost of marriage has led to it increasingly being viewed as a privilege of the wealthy in the U.S. Even when accounting for how much people want to get married, excluding those who ranked marriage as unimportant, there’s still a clear gap in confidence. Among those who valued marriage, 71% of college graduates said they were confident they’d get married, compared to just 58% of non-college graduates. This decrease in confidence may be a function of the colossal price tag associated with marriage.
Understandably, those who decide to delay marriage cite waiting for increased financial stability to afford a wedding and a home. A lack of belief that financial security will be achieved, as is generally the case among those with less education, correlates with fewer reasons to wait to start a family.
In contrast, if there is optimism of increased economic prospects, there is good reason to wait for marriage, with marriage seen as a finish line instead of the start of adult life. This line of reasoning is supported by research by Professor of Public Policy Fenanda R. Addo, which finds that total debt, credit card debt, and education loan debt all increased the odds of cohabitation instead of marriage.
The relevance of economic considerations to marriage extends beyond making youths postpone marriage. Those less optimistic about achieving financial security through employment may seek it through marriage, with a Mathematica Policy Report finding that 43% cite improving their economic status as a reason for, or major consideration when, getting married. As those without a college degree are more skeptical about their future financial freedom, they may choose to pursue marriage, both in a desire to achieve at least one of their priorities and in search of financial stability through other means.
While both groups generally share similar aims, those without a college degree are less likely to believe their financial situations will improve and thus have little reason to put off marriage and homeownership, which both groups see as important for personal fulfillment. While 69% of degree holders believe they will be financially secure, the same can only be said for 48% of those without a degree, with a more pronounced difference in those who expressed extreme confidence in future financial security, with 24% in contrast to 14%.
The divide isn’t based solely on ideology along partisan lines, but likely instead based on college education levels. Controlling for age and education levels, 91% of college-educated Democrats and 90% of college-educated Republicans say marriage is important, with 62% and 66% respectively saying it is extremely important.
Though often viewed as irreconcilable aims or part of a two-step journey, it is possible to see marriage and financial stability as mutually reinforcing goals that can be pursued simultaneously. After all, economic fulfillment need not be a prerequisite for marriage. Pew Research Center found that from 1970 to 2007, married adults made far greater economic gains than their unmarried peers.
Thus, it is time to stop perpetuating the narrative that economic success and marriage follow a linear path. Instead of encouraging youths to desire hyper-consumerist grandiose weddings that mark the accomplishment of economic satisfaction, it is time to change the narrative around marriage and economic fulfillment: marriage should be seen as part of a greater journey to finding fulfillment, including financially.
