Wheatley Scholar Applications Due December 31

"The data is clear: religion has a powerful impact on increasing a sense of meaning in life, helping to protect against loneliness and mental or emotional challenges, and increasing levels of flourishing. Thus, a key component of your efforts in developing a protection from loneliness and finding meaning in life, for yourself and others, is your commitment to living your faith and creating an environment of religious pluralism where others are encouraged to live theirs."

Marriage and fertility rates have reached all-time lows in the U.S. in recent years, as fewer people marry or have children. These trends are likely to continue in the future. In 2023, only 72% of 18-year-old women in the U.S. said they were likely to have children, down from 85% in the late 2000s.

Although retention is not as high as it once was, for Latter-day Saints it has remained remarkably robust across every major indicator of religious life. They lead the nation in church attendance, personal and family religious practice, and active retention, including among Millennials and Gen Z.

"While most people aren’t “overtly hostile” to marriage, they’re becoming “indifferent” to it because they don’t see “its utility or its advantages”—even though family scholars across the political spectrum agree on its economic, social and individual benefits."

"They took on one of the thorniest issues of the day from the heart of the culture wars and treated each other with dignity. They didn’t attack each other; they contended with each other’s ideas and only after working hard to understand those ideas."