A survey by Marri Research has revealed that 46 percent of American teenagers (from 15 to 16) are raised with both their biological parents who are married to each other. This means that the other 54 percent of American parents have rejected each other and their children.
Divorce has become a serious issue in the United States. Christians point to casual dating and marriage as one of the main causes of family rejection. Many leaders have pointed out that churches are not teaching the congregation what it means to have a biblical relationship. In fact, many testified that the atmosphere among couples within the church is no different from that of non-believers.
Regionally, Utah (57 percent), Minnesota (56 percent), and Nebraska (55 percent) have the highest rate of belonging. In other words these were the states where the most teenagers grew up with both their married biological parents and therefore felt the most belonging within their families. However, still a great proportion of teenagers in these states have high rates of rejection from within the family.
On the other hand, District of Columbia (17 percent), Mississippi (32 percent) and Louisiana (36 percent) had lower ratings of belonging.
There is also a difference of ratings between different ethnicities. Asians (65 percent) had the highest rate of belonging whereas African American (17 percent) families had the lowest.
