The penultimate part of this look at the 2021 census focuses on the home. This includes marital status, tenure and access to private vehicles.
Another reminder of the ground rules/method:
- The figures will be counted at council level (the 22 unitary authorities). There are probably more interesting results at a local level/ward level, but that’s not for me to do. You can look these up yourselves using the ONS’s interactive map.
- Percentages are rounded to the nearest decimal place and changes are percentage point increases or decreases (unless stated otherwise).
- 2021 will be compared to both the 2011 and 2001 censuses unless comparable figures are unavailable (i.e. things were counted differently in 2021 compared to previous years) or I couldn’t find the data for whatever reason. In some instances, there won’t be a comparison because it’s a new category.
- Any conclusions are educated guesses rather than hard/academically rigorous ones.
What’s the overall national picture?
44.2% of over-16s were married or in a civil partnership in 2021, which is a 2.6% percentage point drop compared to 2011 – continuing the decline seen at the last census.
The figures include same-sex marriages and civil partnerships, which in the case of same-sex marriages only became legal after the previous census.
While that still means a sizable proportion of adults are married or in civil partnerships, they’re a minority.
What are the standout findings for individual councils?
The only council area where more than half of over-16s are married or in a civil partnership is Monmouthshire (51.7%), while Ceredigion was the only council area to see an increase in marriages or civil partnerships since the last census (+2.3%).
Everywhere else has seen a fairly consistent decline of between 2-3%, with urban and post-industrial areas seeing a sharper fall. The proportion of married or civil partnered adults declined fastest in Caerphilly (-4.1%), Neath Port Talbot and Torfaen (both -3.9%).
What may be the reasons behind the changes (if applicable)?
It’ll be a mix of things including – at heart – changing expectations for long-term relationships (for example, being a single parent or having children outside of marriage isn’t as stigmatised as it once was).
High divorce rates may discourage marriage. While many people remain single for longer or just drop out of the “relationship pool” altogether.
The decline is more pronounced amongst opposite-sex couples than same-sex couples. Also, cohabitation may have increased, meaning younger couples may be looking to establish financial stability – because of increased housing and other living costs – before opting to marry (if they decide to do so at all), which delays things.
Are there any public policy implications?
Marriage does come with certain legal protections in the event of a divorce, so if cohabitations increase there’s a chance that people will be coming out of long-term relationships that have been marriages-in-name with no protection at all.
It saves the time and money of having to go through a divorce, but it could leave a less-well-off partner – or a partner who’s been subject to domestic abuse, for example – in a difficult position.
There’s the broader issue of loneliness as well, which would encompass those who’ve never been married as well as divorcees and the widowed.
