Is marriage obsolete?: By the numbers

A new study suggests that young people are waiting to tie the knot — if they ever decide to do so. Is a venerable institution coming undone?

In 1960 nearly three quarters of American adults were married while in 2008 it was just over half.
(Image credit: Corbis)

The age-old tradition of marriage is getting a serious makeover, at least in the eyes of young Americans. A new survey by Pew and Time reveals that young people express a "deep ambivalence" about marriage across the board, and are increasingly wary of getting hitched. The study also found that the definition of what constitutes a family is changing dramatically. (Watch an MSNBC discussion about the study.) Here's a by-the-numbers look at Pew's survey, and what it says about an evolving institution:

39 percent

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