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A new poll by the Angus Reid Institute finds that over 50 per cent of Canadians agree that 'marriage is simply not necessary.'
Less than half say it is important to them that a couple that plans to spend the rest of their lives together get legally married.
The poll reveals that three quarters of 18-34-year-olds (73 per cent) have never been married and one in six say they don't plan to tie the knot at all.
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Most did view marriage as more of a genuine form of commitment than living in a common-law relationship and 71 per cent say couples should live together before they get married.
Over half agree that couples who legally marry should not receive extra tax benefits over common-law couples and that common-law marriages should be treated the same way as marriages when it comes to splitting assets if the relationship ends.
A total of 60 per cent of the people surveyed say they have been married before and 43 per cent are currently married.
Out of the people that have never been married, 40 per cent say they want to be married and 33 per cent aren't ruling it out.
The most common reason for not getting married is that they haven't found the right person yet. A lack of financial stability is also a major concern with 74 per cent of 18-34-year-olds agreeing with the statement, 'more people would get married if weddings weren’t so expensive and stressful.'
Poll results came from a representative randomized sample of 1,530 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The online survey was conducted from Jan. 23 to 26, 2018.
