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Research, reports, and lectures from Wheatley Institute
"Family is the center of life, and is the key to eternal happiness."
- L. Tom Perry
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Family

The Science of Soulmates

February 13, 2026 12:26 PM
When it comes to romantic relationships, "The One" isn't found. They're made. A recent story from BBC titled "The Science of Soulmates: Is there someone out there exactly right for you?" explores the impact of believing in soulmates. What happens when an individual believes there is only one perfect romantic partner for them?
1 Min Read
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Family

State of Our Unions 2026: The Dating Recession

February 10, 2026 06:00 AM
Young adults today are living in a depressed dating economy. In this 2026 State of Our Unions report, we pursued greater insight on the challenges of contemporary dating through the 2025 National Dating Landscape Survey, a nationally representative sample of 5,275 unmarried young adults ages 22–35 in the United States. We focused mostly on the dating experiences of those single young adults who expect to marry (86%; N = 4,539). What did we learn?
1 Min Read
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Family

Two Wheatley Institute articles featured in top 10 posts from IFS in 2025

January 02, 2026 12:44 PM
The top 10 articles of 2025 from Institute for Family Studies featured two articles from Wheatley Institutes Director of Family Initiative Jason Carroll and Wheatley Fellow Brian Willoughby.
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Family

Unprotected from Porn Report cited in Deseret News article

January 02, 2026 12:24 PM
In her Deseret News article focused on what Congress or others could to help families flourish, Lois M. Collins cited the Unprotected from Porn report from 2025 on how age verification should be mandatory for pornography websites. In addition, the article stated from the report that, "Parents should not be left to safeguard their children from an unregulated industry of sexual media... which have been given de facto impunity to capture a spellbound audience of underage children."
1 Min Read
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Family

Wall Street Journal Features Wheatley Family Study

December 03, 2025 10:06 AM
"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."
1 Min Read
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Family

American Family Survey launch event: Modern Challenges Facing American Families

November 18, 2025 01:47 PM
The 2025 American Family Survey is live. The launch event, that took place on November 14, was published online to view by C-Span.
1 Min Read
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Family

American Family Survey 2025: American Families in an Era of Rapid Change

November 14, 2025 10:50 AM
"More than 7 in 10 Americans say that raising children is unaffordable — an increase of 20 percentage points over the last decade and a significant jump of 13 percentage points over the last year."
1 Min Read
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Family

Why Children Became Useless: Faith and the Future of the Family

November 03, 2025 09:56 AM
"Marriage and childbearing belong to the domain of the spirit, the rational part of the rational animal. Marriage and kids are choices we make. They have to be chosen because we are reasoning beings. The reasons to do them have to be weightier than the reasons not to do them. And there are many reasons not to do them. Marriage and kids are hard to do. You give up a lot. But what do you gain?"
1 Min Read
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Family

Wheatley Scholar Op-Ed Featured in Deseret News

October 09, 2025 10:52 AM
Too often we use the yardsticks of wealth, power and prestige to measure success. But those three measures all rely heavily on the unruly variable of luck. If we define the American dream as success reliant on luck, we have taken agency out of the pursuit such a dream.
1 Min Read
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