More than half of the population in Ireland believes marriage is better for society and children, a new survey has claimed. The new study among people in the Republic of Ireland found around six out of 10 people felt, in general, it was better for children if their parents were husband and wife.
The opinion poll for the Iona Institute, a pro-religion and pro-marriage organisation, said some 18 per cent disagreed and 21 per cent had no opinion.
More than half of those quizzed, 53 per cent, also believed marriage was better for society than couples living together, while 92 per cent said a child has a right to a father and a mother where possible.
It also revealed Fine Gael voters were most supportive of marriage, followed by supporters of Fianna Fail, Labour, Sinn Fein and finally the Greens.
The institute said the findings were significant with pressure growing to give the rights of married couples to cohabiting couples, to allow adoption by same-sex couples and to hold a constitutional referendum on children's rights.
Director David Quinn, who is also a columnist with the Irish Catholic and Irish Independent, said Irish society would have to decide a number of vital questions in the coming years concerning the family.
"The first is whether we still believe marriage is of special benefit to society, and especially to children, and therefore whether it should continue to receive special support," said Mr Quinn.
"The second, connected with this, is whether we still believe that there is a special value in children being raised by a mother and father.
"Finally, despite the huge rise in cohabitation a majority of the public continue to believe that marriage is better for society than cohabitation and a bigger majority believe it is best for children.
"This lends powerful support to the current practice of favouring marriage in the law."
Some 121,000 cohabiting couples were recorded in the country in Census 2006.
But despite the massive 400 per cent jump in people living together since 1996, more couples are also getting married.
The Central Statistics Office said 22,544 couples married in 2007, up 34 per cent since 1998 when 16,783 marriages were registered.
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(Source: TC)