The Truth About Marriage

Younger men yearn for affection Yes, the seven year itch really does exist and a quarter of married people wouldn't do it again

Have you ever hidden a price tag from your spouse? Suppressed a secret desire or just wished you weren't married any more? With 40% of British Marriages now heading for divorce, MORI conducted an exclusive Reader's Digest Poll of married people looking at their attitudes towards marriage, their experiences and how honest and open they are with each other.

The survey was conducted by MORI who interviewed 971 married adults aged 16 years and over throughout Great Britain. The findings are revealed in the January issue of Reader's Digest.

Russell Twisk, Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest says: "What a confusing picture. Men wanting to talk more - we'd always thought it was women. Men longing for affection and wishing they could talk about sex. A surprising number of women kept in ignorance about how much their partners earn. Proof that the seven year itch really does exist. Yet middle aged couples are five times more likely to fantasise about having a dog than dream of an extra marital affair. The state of marriage in Britain 2002 is puzzling and contradictory - for over a quarter of British married couples say that given their experience of it they would NOT get married again!"

Among the survey's findings are:

What Can't Couples Talk About?

Some of the poll's greatest surprises arise from conversations married people wish they could have but don't - especially younger men.

Lighten Up

• 44% of men under 45 wish they could talk to their partner about having more fun.

More Togetherness

• 40% of men under 45 wish they could talk to their partner about spending more time together.

More Sex

• 29% of men under 45 wish they could talk about their sex lives, compared with 17% of women.

More Cuddles

• 22% of men under 45 wish they could ask their partner to be more affectionate.

Seven Year Itch - Fact not Fiction

• 30% of people married between six and nine years confess that they've wished they could wake up one morning and not be married any more.
• 30% of men married for nine years or less wish they could talk about their sex lives - compared with 12% of women.

What Are Our Most-Kept Secrets?

• Money is a major taboo area - 20% (one in five) of those who have been married for 20-29 years have no idea how much their spouse has saved or invested or even how much their partner earns.
• 44% of women and 39% of men confess they have kept something secret from their partners.

Attitudes Towards Marriage

• Over a quarter (27%) of married people say that given their experience, they would not get married again.

Do Couples Share Their Dreams?

• Nearly one in five (18 per cent) admit they have at some point had dreams or aspirations they do not talk about with their spouse.

Technical details

MORI conducted 971 face-to-face interviews with married people aged 16+, in 192 sampling points in Great Britain, between 4th- 9th October 2001.