The majority of Irish people still favour traditional marriage over other family forms. That's according to a poll by a new organisation, the Iona Institute, dedicated to promoting marriage and religious practice.According to the poll, conducted by Lansdowne Market Research, 52 per cent of people believe that "it is better if the parents of a child are married", while 29 per cent disagreed. Fifty eight per cent of people believed that marriage breakdown was bad for society, with 27 per cent disagreeing.
The poll also found that 80 per cent of people believed "tax should be reduced for families with children in order to ease their financial burden". Only 16 per cent believed "the tax system should tax people as individuals and take no account of whether they are married and/or have children".
The director of the new group, well-known journalist and commentator David Quinn, said that the findings were not surprising. "Many people who are not especially religious view marriage as socially useful," Quinn said.
Children were the ones who suffered in the context of family breakdown, he continued. "Common sense tells us that children do better if they have two parents," he said. This instinct was confirmed by "vast amounts of research", he went on.
This research clearly showed that marital breakdown was a major factor in the rise of crime, social exclusion and suicide. Quinn went on to say that the decline in religious practice was another significant reason for these developments.
"Marriage and religion act as transmitters of moral values," he said. "Without these transmitters, society loses its moral compass."
Quinn explained that the Institute existed to highlight these issues, and to provide an opportunity to propose pro-marriage policies and to promote religious freedom. "At the moment, these issues are simply not being addressed," Quinn said.
Patrons of the organisation include well-known figures such as Professor Patricia Casey, columnist Breda O'Brien and prominent theologian Dr Vincent Twomey.
Quinn went on to say that the results of the poll would give politicians pause for thought. "Politicians who are contemplating changes in the status of the family need to bear in mind that a majority of Irish people still feel that traditional marriage ought to receive the whole-hearted support of the State".