Happenings
The latest news and events from Wheatley Institute.
State of Our Unions 2026: The Dating Recession
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?
Interpreting The Declaration’s Elusive Promise
Bradley Rebeiro, fellow at Wheatley Institute, writes for Liberty Fund about the universal promises of the Declaration of Independence.
Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division
"Even when I thought he was getting the wrong answers... He was the guy in the room who was asking the right questions."
Amid Rising Hate, Governors Share Message of Faith and Hope
“And too often, we think we can separate our Christianity or our religion from our politics, that I’m going to treat my enemies with love and respect, except if they’re a progressive.... I keep looking for that exception, I didn’t find Jesus saying that anywhere.”
American Family Survey 2025: American Families in an Era of Rapid Change
"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."
Mitt Romney: 2025 George W. Romney Lecture on Public Service
"May we live in a way that’s in harmony with our core values, and by the values that we see in others who we admire."
Why Children Became Useless: Faith and the Future of the Family
"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?"
Eternal Man and the Power of Identity
Good evening, dear friends. It is a privilege to occupy this pulpit, though, believe me, I am well aware that those who’ve honored to deliver the Truman G. Madsen Eternal Man Lecture through the years are to a person more qualified than I. But Truman Madsen had an outsized influence in my life. So tonight, I welcome the chance to pay tribute to him and, in particular, to the masterful way he combined depth of scholarship with deep faith and devotion to Jesus Christ and to His prophets.
The Peacemaker: Exploring the Legacy of President Russell M. Nelson
In connection with Faith Matters, Wheatley Institute sponsored an event at the National Press Club earlier this month titled "The Peacemaker: Exploring the Legacy of President Russell M. Nelson." While acknowledging President Nelson's passing this past week, we re-emphasize his prophetic call to be peacemakers in a polarizing time.
Experiencing Jesus Christ Through the Family Proclamation
Wheatley Institute sponsored a 2-day BYU conference focused on The Family: a Proclamation to the World in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Speakers included Wheatley Institute Family Initiative Director Jason Carroll and fellows Jenet Erickson, Shima Baradaran Baughman, Brian Willoughby, Loren Marks and Justin Collings.