Americans Have Essentially Same View Of Marriage As We Did 13 Years Ago, Thanks To Republicans

August 10, 2026 2:38 PM ET Slightly more Americans believe that it is “very important” for couples with a child together to marry than did 13 years ago, and Republicans are leading the change, a new Gallup Poll shows. The rise in this belief comes after a fall in 2020, when it reached an all-time low over the past two decades, according to Gallup’s past polling. In 2026, 39% of Americans said it was “very important” when asked “[w]hen a couple has a child together, how important is it to you that they legally marry?” — which is one point higher than in 2013, when 38% of Americans said the same, per the poll released Friday.This marks a ten-point rise from 2020 when only 29% said that it was “very important” for couples with children to be married. (RELATED: Women, Youth Led American Exodus