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US Study: Marriages Last Longer Than Cohabitation Star River Night Crossing March 4, 2010, 14:32 Source: China Daily Online – English Tips Clicked 26,782 times http://news.iciba.com/uploads/100304/4057574_143404_1.jpg Newlyweds kiss after getting married atop the Empire State Building in New York, February 14, 2006. The Centers for Disease Control reported on Tuesday that marriages in the United States last longer than relationships in which couples live together without being married. The US Centers for Disease Control released a report on Tuesday stating that marriage relationships in the U.S. endure longer than non-marital cohabitation relationships. About 78 percent of marriages lasted five years or more, compared with less than 30 percent of what the CDC called cohabiting unions, or couples living together outside marriage. In the United States, approximately 78% of marriages survive for five years or longer, whereas less than 30% of those relationships referred to by the CDC as non-marital cohabitations last that long. One reason cohabitations were shorter-lived than marriages is that 51 percent of couples who lived together made the transition to marriage within three years, CDC said in a statement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a declaration that one reason why cohabitation does not last as long as marriage is that 51% of couples who live together get married within three years of starting to live together. Over 40 percent of men and women aged 15-44 were married in 2002 when the interviews were conducted, compared with 9 percent who were living together. The report was based on a nationally representative sample of 12,571 men and women. During the interviews carried out in 2002, more than 40% of men and women aged 15 to 44 were married, while 9% were living together. The report is based on a sample survey of 12,571 men and women conducted nationwide. Other findings: Other research results include: The report found that couples of the same racial origin have a better chance of staying together for 10 years or longer in their first marriage. The report showed that couples of the same race are more likely to maintain their first marriage for ten years or more. Nearly 80 percent of couples who have their first child at least eight months after their first marriage are likely to celebrate their 10th anniversary; those who don’t have children are more than twice as likely not to last 10 years. Among couples who have their first child at least eight months after getting married for the first time, nearly 80% of their marriages survive for ten years. And couples without children are more than twice as likely to have their marriage last less than ten years. About 75 percent of marriages between men and women aged 26 or older last at least 10 years, compared with only about half of teen marriages. Among couples whose partners are 26 years old or older at the time of marriage, approximately 75% of their marriages last at least ten years; in contrast, only about half of teenage marriages last that long.