Irish people have voted on the ideal age to get married, and early 30s is considered to be the best time to tie the knot.
The survey was carried out by Bannon Jewellers who asked 1,000 members of the Irish public: “What age do you think people should get married at?”
The age group of 30-33 received 34% of the votes, followed by ages 25-29 which got 25%.
The age groups below and above these two received a nominal number of votes, but 15% of people thought it is best to never get married at all.
There was no significant difference in the views of men and women, with both generally voting in the same pattern.
Younger voters were more likely to say it is best to get married between the ages of 18 and 24, an opinion not shared by those of an older generation, suggesting the general mood was that it takes experience to make such a big decision.
This would be backed up by the statistics, as divorce rates are higher amongst couples who tie the knot at a young age. First-time marriages of couples in their late 20s and early 30s are the least likely to get divorced, and those who wed in their 40s are nearly as likely as the youngsters to eventually break up.
Psychologists believe these trends are easily explained as young adults are still rounding themselves as individuals and young couples that seem to be a good fit can end up growing apart as their views and life-plans change.
There is also a theory that those who get married in their 40s may be doing so out of social pressures and could ‘settle’ for a partner who is not necessarily an ideal match, explaining why divorce rates would be higher.
Other points of interest from the study found that generally people are leaving it later to get married than in previous generations. This could be because couples can remain happy and content in committed relationships and choose to wait to get married until they have pursued their professional goals.
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