'I do' : reasons for getting married amongst Maltese youths

Abstract

This research was conducted to find out reasons for getting married among Maltese youths. This in turn gave a clearer picture to the significance that Maltese youths give to marriage as an institution, as well as sheds light on how the introduction of divorce influenced the way youths perceive marriage. Due to the lack of local research on the subject, a focus group was held in which 17 youths participated. A questionnaire was constructed from three recent foreign surveys, based in Australia and America, together with information from the focus group specifically held to integrate the local perspective. In total 150 questionnaires were distributed by hand, of which 116 were returned. An online form was set up and it had a response of 390 questionnaires, which summed to a total of 506 filled questionnaires. Results showed that the Maltese youths marry for love, to form a family, to signify a lifelong commitment and to unite with soul mate respectively. Independent variables such as gender, age, employment, status and religious attitudes all had significant impact on their reasons for marriage. An absolute majority of youths desire to marry and prefer the religious option for marriage. Overall, respondents agree with the lifelong commitment needed for marriage; believe that most couples are happy and claim that the introduction of divorce has not changed the way they perceive marriage. These gave explanations to why when compared to European Union countries, marriage in Malta reigns as the strongest.