Your best friend's mom ...

[Ken]

... need I go on?

Yes, the trite response is that "correlation does not equal causation"

But in this particular case, the actual causation has been studied and documented to death. Endless books and studies have explored the factors that lead to successful marriage. It is one of the most studied and analyzed topics in sociology, psychology, and family studies. And yes, in the case of college educations, it isn't mere correlation. There are actual well understood causes at play as well. Both in terms of higher marriage rates and lower divorce rates.

[Ken]

In say the 1950s when there were a plethora of stable good-paying non-college union jobs that could support a family then things were different. But we don't live in those times. I would fully support public policy measures to push us back in that direction. But that doesn't seem to be the direction that this country wants to go. So that leaves college education as your best bet. Are there other things you can do to try and duplicate some of the advantages that college confers? Sure. But none of them are as easy or effective.

I'm wary of this emphasis on middle-class economic stability, but even on those terms I think this is an oversimplification at best. Most paths to good jobs are about developing character, skills, and knowledge, in roughly that order. College is one way to do that. I myself have a college degree, and I may pursue a graduate degree in the next several years. I'm encouraging my own children to consider college. But other ways of developing skills, etc. are easier and more effective for many people. There are plenty of good jobs in the trades, for example. Lots of people chasing four-year degrees would be better off in technical training or certification programs (and if these are included in your definition of "college," my level of disagreement is diminished).

Well, here is one actual study on the subject that was published last month. Marriage requires two to tango so to speak. It isn't JUST about what you YOURSELF do with your life. It is also about the pool of potential spouses you have available. And that you can't control. That requires middle class economic stability: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2025/0 ... %20Cornell.

From the article:

The same pattern held, Goldman said: As men did worse, noncollege women’s marriage prospects suffered, college women’s much less so. In areas where noncollege men had the most stable economic outcomes – including the lowest rates of joblessness and incarceration – education gaps in marriage between college and noncollege women were 50% smaller than in areas where noncollege men had the worst economic outcomes.

The data suggests education gaps in marriage will continue to widen, the researchers said: Americans born in the mid-1990s are poised to become the first cohort in which marriage rates for noncollege women fall below 50%. They said efforts to improve prosperity and well-being for working-class men – who have experienced declines in education, employment, income and lifespan – could have positive spillover effects for noncollege women, and for their children.

“Our research indicates that improving economic opportunities for men without a college degree could substantially increase marriage rates, particularly in poorer communities and among non-college-educated women,” the team concluded.

“Doing so,” Goldman said, “could not only benefit the current generation but also increase the share of children born into married, two-parent households, potentially improving outcomes for children born to low-income mothers.”

[Robert]

The reality is that membership in an insular religious group and college attendance BOTH lead to higher marriage and lower divorce rates.

Correlation is not always causation. I would want much more in-depth look at it.

How many of those college graduates are actually raising families?

[Ken]

The reality is that membership in an insular religious group and college attendance BOTH lead to higher marriage and lower divorce rates.

Correlation is not always causation. I would want much more in-depth look at it.

How many of those college graduates are actually raising families?

I had to look that question up. It turns out that college educated women are slightly more likely to have children than non-college educated women. They are also more likely to have planned families and much less likely to have children out of wedlock (single mothers). Here is one study that looks into the subject: https://ifstudies.org/blog/do-the-more- ... r-children

Put another way, the reproductive rates (average number of children) are pretty similar between college educated women and non-college educated women. But college educated women are more likely to have children within 2-parent nuclear families and non-college educated women are more likely to have children out-of-wedlock or as single mothers.

I don't think that was always the case. But it seems that the breakdown of the nuclear family and marriage in this country is most acute at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum and least acute at the higher end. And college education is one of the biggest factors that determines where you fall on that spectrum.

[JoyE]

It's my understanding that college/university is where most church-going young people lose their faith. Unsurprising, considering the worldview of the professors that the parents are paying to teach them; peer pressure towards sexual immorality, drugs, alcoholism, etc.; and leaving church behind.

[Robert]

I had to look that question up. It turns out that college educated women are slightly more likely to have children than non-college educated women. They are also more likely to have planned families and much less likely to have children out of wedlock (single mothers). Here is one study that looks into the subject: https://ifstudies.org/blog/do-the-more- ... r-children

Put another way, the reproductive rates (average number of children) are pretty similar between college educated women and non-college educated women. But college educated women are more likely to have children within 2-parent nuclear families and non-college educated women are more likely to have children out-of-wedlock or as single mothers.

I don't think that was always the case. But it seems that the breakdown of the nuclear family and marriage in this country is most acute at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum and least acute at the higher end. And college education is one of the biggest factors that determines where you fall on that spectrum.

This is some interesting findings. Some counter to all other research I have seen. From some other research, GenZ are actually more committed and more prone to stay in long term relationships as a whole. It is not just college, but societal things that are turning them to more conservative and traditional connections. This is seen from the increase of GenZ who are joining and attending Catholic Churches. Less are actually seeing higher education.

[R7ehr]

How come the divorce rate didn't improve as the general level of educated women increased over the last 100 years? Surely if more women than ever are getting college educated, and that is such a powerful reason that causes marriage to last, we should have seen the divorce rate drop accordingly.

[Soloist]

How come the divorce rate didn't improve as the general level of educated women increased over the last 100 years? Surely if more women than ever are getting college educated, and that is such a powerful reason that causes marriage to last, we should have seen the divorce rate drop accordingly.

Because they’re being educated on all the reasons they shouldn’t be in a marriage.

[Bootstrap]

It's my understanding that college/university is where most church-going young people lose their faith. Unsurprising, considering the worldview of the professors that the parents are paying to teach them; peer pressure towards sexual immorality, drugs, alcoholism, etc.; and leaving church behind.

I haven't studied this in any depth, but are young people any less likely to lose their faith if they do not go to college at this age?

Here are the first two studies I found on this question. They both seem to indicate that young people of college age are more likely to lose their faith if they do not go to college.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3365855/

Going to college has long been assumed to liberalize students’ religious beliefs. Using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Youth and Religion, we compare change in the content of religious beliefs of those who do and do not attend college. We find that, in general, college students are no more likely to develop liberal religious beliefs than nonstudents. In some cases, collegians actually appear more likely to retain their initial beliefs. Change in religious beliefs appears instead to be more strongly associated with network effects. These findings indicate that college’s effect on students’ religious beliefs is both weak and fragmented, and suggest that the multiplicity of social worlds on college campuses may help to sustain religious beliefs as well as religious practice and commitment.

https://news.utexas.edu/2007/06/06/coll ... rch-shows/

College graduates are more likely to maintain their religious beliefs and practices than those who never attend college, new research at The University of Texas at Austin has found.

The findings are detailed in a study titled "Losing My Religion" in the June issue of the journal Social Forces.

Researchers found four-year college students and college graduates are the least likely to curb church attendance, to say religion is less important in their lives, or to completely disassociate from religion. Young adults who do not pursue a college degree are the most likely to abandon their faith.

"Many people assume college is public enemy number one for religion," Mark Regnerus, assistant professor of sociology and author of the book "Forbidden Fruit: Sex and Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers," said. "But we found young adults who don’t experience college are far more likely to turn away from religion."

The evolution of campus culture might explain the surprising results, Regnerus said. As more universities shift attention and resources from liberal arts to professional programs, students are increasingly sheltered from philosophical questions or debates that challenge their beliefs. When they are challenged, they can gain support from campus religious organizations and like-minded peers.

"Religion and spirituality are becoming more accepted in higher education, both in intellectual circles and in campus life," Jeremy Uecker, graduate student and lead author of the study, noted. "Religious students are encountering a much less hostile environment than in years past."

I haven't taken college courses since 1987 or so, so I can't speak from recent firsthand experience here. I do know that my faith was strengthened because of the campus ministries I was involved with back then.

[Ken]

How come the divorce rate didn't improve as the general level of educated women increased over the last 100 years? Surely if more women than ever are getting college educated, and that is such a powerful reason that causes marriage to last, we should have seen the divorce rate drop accordingly.

We are seeing it drop. Divorce rates peaked around 1980 and have been falling steadily for the past 45 years. Moreso for the college educated.