(AP) -- WASHINGTON (AP) - A new report suggests that more people are accepting the view that marriage isn't necessary to have a family.
The Pew Research Center finds that nearly one in three American children under 18 is living with a parent or parents who are unwed or no longer married. That's a fivefold increase from 1960.
About 39 percent of Americans surveyed say marriage is becoming obsolete.
U.S. census data released in September showed marriages hit an all-time low of 52 percent for adults 18 and over.
In 1978, just 28 percent believed marriage was becoming obsolete.
When asked what constitutes a family, the vast majority of Americans agree that a married couple, with or without children, fits that description. But four of five surveyed pointed also to an unmarried, opposite-sex couple with children or a single parent. Three of 5 people said a same-sex couple with children was a family.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
