Few babies and sad, lonely adults may not seem like the ideal ingredients for a cultural revival. But some cheerful champions of marriage, family and faith are finding new cause for optimism. Their buoyancy comes from evidence that their ideas work and also a sense that cultural elites—having tried plenty of ideas that don’t—may finally be willing to consider practical solutions to society’s problems.
The American experiment is in trouble. Deaths of despair — due to suicide, drugs or alcohol poisoning — have surged in recent years. Reports of happiness have plunged. Millions think the American dream is out of reach. Polarization in Washington goes from worse to worse.
That’s the bad news.
Actually, the authors have more bad news for those of us hoping that American society will be growing and thriving long after we’re gone:On the family front, America has just crossed a historic threshold where, of adults aged 18-55, there is now a greater share of single adults with no children than there are married adults with children.