Christian marriages have higher success rate

Christians are happier in their marriage and more likely to stay together than non-Christians, new research has found.

The 'How's the Family?' report from the Evangelical Alliance also found that Christians were highly likely to accept outside help and advice to keep their marriages healthy.

The typical lifestyle choices of Christians who went on to happy and lengthy marriages were found to be marrying young - at 25 on average compared to over 30 in the general population, being less likely to have lived together as a couple, and being willing to participate in activities that support and maintain their relationship. The supporting activities were often provided by their own church.

The report is the latest in the 21st Century Evangelicals series from the Evangelical Alliance.

It found that Christian evangelicals were far less likely to live in single-parent households – four per cent compared with 12 per cent nationally.

They were also more likely to be married - two-thirds compared with 49 per cent of the overall population - whilst the number of those divorced was half the UK average.

Over half of the married evangelicals surveyed had taken part in formal marriage preparation, while 29 per cent had sought help in their marriage, with the top three reasons being communication difficulties, infidelity, and sexual problems.

Steve Clifford, general director of the Evangelical Alliance, called upon the church to demonstrate a model of marriage that was "healthy and sustainable".

“Families aren’t always easy to live with but Christians do seem to have a high level of commitment to making them work," he said.

"The message this research gives us is that most Christian couples refuse to simply walk away from relationships when they get tough.

"They are not afraid to seek help from professionals and advice from their church, family and friends. Christian marriages are not perfect but they show fewer signs of following the cultural trend of giving up and separating."

The research was published to coincide with Marriage Week, which concluded today.