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With new data available from the 2023 census, it is possible to answer questions that contemporary policy makers seem disinterested in.
Earlier I posed the question, Who relies most heavily on welfare?
The following graph replicates ethnic benefit data and adds marriage data. Is there a relationship between marriage rates and welfare dependence? It would appear so.
Generally speaking, the higher the married portion of an ethnic group is, the lower the likelihood of relying on welfare, be it unemployment, sole parent or sickness benefits.
In New Zealand it is very unfashionable to praise marriage as an institution. Perhaps because marriage is viewed as patriarchal and Christian? On the other hand, marriages provide the stable and safe child-rearing economic units upon which successful societies are built. Marriage also requires commitment, which filters through to other aspects of people’s lives.
And yet, overall, marriage rates are declining – a trend that does not bode well for the future.
This article was originally published on the author’s blog.
