It may come as a surprise to some people, but the divorce rate in the United States is not actually on the rise. In fact, Connecticut residents may be shocked to discover that recent numbers suggest a measurable drop in the rate of divorce nation-wide. However, as compelling as these numbers might be, they may not be as accurate as first thought.
The American Community Survey sent out by the United States Census Department began polling Americans about their divorce habits back in 2008 when they started asking people if they had been divorced in the past year. Since then, based on the 3.5 million households polled, the divorce rate nation-wide has actually dropped by some 3 percent. This certainly runs against the commonly-held view that the rate of divorce continues to rise.
Of course, there is some question as to why these numbers reflect a drop. Some experts have suggested that the rise in potential for newlywed couples to divorce could account for some of the disparity. Additionally, the technical definition of divorce, while agreed upon by the courts, is the subject of some debate between private citizens: for example, a common law couple who separate may have answered either way on the divorce question on the survey.
Regardless whether the national average for divorce goes up or down, Connecticut residents will continue to make the decision to end their marriages for their own reasons. If they do, a variety of supports are available to them during this tumultuous time. Seeking out those supports and getting perspective on their rights and responsibilities during a divorce may help them stimulate growth in a statistic that reads “happier after a successful divorce.”
Source: techinsider.io, “The divorce rate in America is plunging”, Drake Baer, Nov. 21, 2015