Eight in ten Britons believe the Government's cohabitation reforms would reduce marriage, new poll finds

Eight in ten Britons believe the Government's cohabitation reforms would reduce marriage, new poll finds

The British public believes that giving cohabiting couples marriage-equivalent rights will reduce marriage in this country, according to new polling from the Family Education Trust. Eighty per cent say reform would lead to fewer people marrying. The polling is published as the Government launches its consultation on cohabitation rights and family finances.

The consultation, published on 5th June, proposes giving cohabiting couples marriage-style financial protections - including automatic inheritance when a partner dies without a will, and access to a share of a property on separation - as part of a wider package that also covers financial provision on divorce and legally binding nuptial agreements. The Government estimates 3.5 million people would be affected.

New polling from the Family Education Trust, conducted by Whitestone Insight, a British Polling Council member, finds that the British public is acutely aware of the marriage-substitution risk in the cohabitation reform proposals, even where the public also expresses sympathy for vulnerable cohabiting partners.

The public believes reform reduces marriage

80 per cent of the public say that giving cohabiting couples the same legal rights as married couples would likely lead to fewer people getting married. Just 20 per cent say it would lead to more.

In a forced choice between the two policy priorities, 51 per cent of the public want government to prioritise making marriage easier and more attractive, against 49 per cent prioritising cohabitation rights. Among married respondents the gap is 64 per cent to 36 per cent in favour of marriage; among the over-75s, 66 per cent to 34 per cent.

63 per cent of the public say no, unmarried couples do not have the same legal rights as married couples on separation. Public legal literacy on cohabitation is patchy, and 28 per cent are simply unsure.

But the public has not abandoned marriage

Two-thirds of the country - 66 per cent - agree that children brought up by two parents have statistically better life outcomes than those brought up in single-parent households. Just 16 per cent disagree. Any reform of the legal architecture around couples and children should start from that public finding, not in spite of it.

Asked whether society would benefit from more marriages, fewer marriages or about the same, just 2 per cent want fewer, whereas one in three (34 per cent) believe it would benefit from more. 54 per cent think it would make little difference.

66 per cent say marriage is important for providing stability for children. Among parents currently raising children aged under 18, that rises to 68 per cent.

52 per cent of the public, in a separate forced-choice question, say children are generally more likely to have stable family lives if their parents are married. Among men the figure is 60 per cent; among married respondents 62 per cent; among Christians 60 per cent.

The Family Education Trust position

Dr Tony Rucinski, Chair of the Family Education Trust, said:

"The Government says it wants to strengthen protections for cohabiting couples while upholding marriage as one of our most important institutions. The public does not believe those two aims sit together. Eight in ten Britons believe these reforms will reduce marriage rates, and just one in fifty believe Britain would be better off with fewer marriages. We urge the Lord Chancellor to choose a route that protects vulnerable cohabitees without dismantling the legal distinctiveness of marriage. Opt-in registration and targeted protections for cohabitees with children after long cohabitations are moderate, evidence-based alternatives that deserve serious attention. The Family Education Trust will submit this evidence to the consultation."

Dr Rucinski added:

"Earlier this week our polling showed that 65 per cent of the public want the benefits system to stop financially penalising couples who live together. The principle is the same here: public policy should support couples who commit and keep marriage distinct. The state should stop punishing the couples who commit - it should not blur the one institution that marks the deepest commitment of all."