New report shows the role Christian faith plays in marital quality, perspectives on marriage, and couples’ sex lives.

The report provides new data showing the most devout Catholic and Protestant couples enjoy the happiest family lives.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, UNITED STATES, September 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Christian faith is less of a factor in married family life than prior decades. But the remnant of Catholic and Protestant couples who attend church regularly have stronger, more stable families. The new study, The Devout Difference: Religion, Marital Quality, and Sex Among Americans presents a provocative and important look at religously affiliated married couples compared to their secular counterparts.

Religious couples are more likely to view marriage as permanent, report higher marital satisfaction, divorce less, have more sex, and feel greater sexual satisfaction than non-religious couples.

KEY FINDINGS:

60% of religious Americans between ages 20 and 54 are married, compared to 42% of secular adults.

79% of churchgoing Catholics and 74% of churchgoing Protestants are very happily married, compared to 66% of non-religious husbands and wives.

78% of value-aligned Catholic and Protestant spouses report being in a happy marriage, versus just 36% for non-aligned spouses. This disparity indicates that values alignment is the most important factor to a happy marriage.

62% of churchgoing married adults have sex weekly, while only 48% of non-religious adults do. Married religious couples are also more likely to report higher sexual satisfaction.

25% of churchgoing husbands view pornography monthly or more (versus 35% of husbands who rarely or never attend church). This likely causes strain in Catholic and Protestant marriages.

"The conventional wisdom holds that religious faith is an obstacle to a happy marriage and a good sex life,” said report co-author Dr. Brad Wilcox.

“Our research finds the opposite. No set of Americans are happier in their marriages, or more sexually satisfied, than men and women who regularly attend church. The norms, networks, and values of religious communities deepen the ties that bind, a rare gift in a digital age that is increasingly atomistic.”

In an age marked by rising loneliness, unhappiness, and deaths of despair, faith and family remain havens in a heartless world. With that in mind, the IFS and FOCUS report concludes with a series of recommendations for marriage-minded young adults, married couples, and churches to strengthen the quality of married life in America.

About the authors

Richard Dell’Isola, Ph.D. is a licensed marriage and family therapist and Assistant Professor at Belmont Abbey College. He holds a PhD in Human Ecology from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Lipscomb University.

Brad Wilcox, Ph.D. is Senior Fellow and Director of the Get Married Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, and the Melville Foundation Jefferson Scholars Foundation University Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia.

Grant Bailey is a Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Get Married Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies.

Jane Lankes Smith, Ph.D. is a research scientist at the Institute for Population Research at Ohio State University. She holds a dual Ph.D. in sociology and demography from Pennsylvania State University.

About IFS

The Institute for Family Studies is a non-partisan research organization dedicated to strengthening marriage and family life through evidence-based research and public education.

James Lynch
Institute for Family Studies
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