There also is a dearth of data
on marriage trends among
same-sex couples, for whom
the option to marry only
recently became available in
a limited number of venues.
In this report, same-sex
unmarried partners are
included in the category of
adults with no partner.
Although same-sex couples
and adults with no partner
differ in income, education
and household composition,
combining them in the same
category does not change the
findings about the relative
economic conditions for
adults in the three partnership
status groups.
The first section examines the
prevalence and growth of
cohabitation, compared with
marriage or living without a
partner, by educational
attainment. The second
section analyzes the
economic outcomes of adults
by partnership status and
JOY FEELINGS
educational attainment. The
third section examines adults’
labor market characteristics
to understand the
comparative patterns of
economic well-being. The
fourth section looks at some
differences in the types of
households in which these
adults live—again, by
partnership status and
educational attainment.
ABOUT THE REPORT
This report was researched
and written by Richard Fry
and D’Vera Cohn, senior
economist and senior writer,
respectively, of the Social &
Demographic Trends project
of the Pew Research Center.
The report was edited by Paul
Taylor, executive vice
president of the Pew
Research Center and director
of the Social & Demographic
Trends project. Research
associate Wendy Wang
assisted with charts and
editing. Research analyst