Sample Detail

The provided column charts depict the number of marriages and divorces in the USA as well as compare the marital status among American adults in 1970 and 2000. Overall, the marriage number was consistently higher than the divorce number throughout the period. What is most striking is that the majority of adult Americans were married in both 1970 and 2000. Regarding the number of marriages in the USA, there were 2.5 million in both 1970 and 1980 before declining significantly to 2 million by 2000, though this figure still remained dominant position over the period. In contrast, the figure for divorces increased considerably from 1 million to nearly 1.5 million over the first surveyed decade before decreasing back to 1 million at the end of the period. Turning to marital status in the USA, in 1970, 70% of adult Americans were married, compared to 15% of who had never married, less than 10% of who were widowed and a low of 2% who had divorced. However, these figures shifted over a 30-year period. The proportion of married adult Americans decreased significantly to 60%, while the figures for never married and divorced rose slightly to 20% and nearly 10% in 2000. Finally, the widowed only accounted for 5% among American adult, which recorded smallest percentage by 2000.