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A Snapshot: Victorian’s attitudes towards love
This work was undertaken by Better Place Australia prior to the establishment of the Centre for Better Relationships.
The continued popularity of reality TV programs about love and romance suggests that traditional notions of romantic love remain deeply embedded in our culture. However, attitudes towards love, romance, and marriage can sometimes have unintended, detrimental effects on the quality of relationships and family life. Despite the cultural prominence of romantic ideals, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for love – human relationships are far too complex for any universal recipe to apply.
In October 2018, Better Place Australia conducted a survey to better understand certain romantic beliefs within the Australian community. The survey posed questions around three common themes of romantic ideation:
- There can only be one true love for me;
- All you need is love; and
- Love at first sight.
A total of 845 respondents aged 18 and above from across Victoria participated in the survey. Of that number, 65.8% were in a relationship at the time of the survey and the remaining 34.2% were not. A further 18.3% had never been in a relationship.
What we know
- Marriage rates have declined from 9.3 marriages per every 1000 Australians in 1970 to an estimated 4.9 marriages per every 1000 Australian residents in 2016
- Divorce rates were at a high in the 1970s but began falling after the principle of no-fault divorce was introduced in 1975
- Divorce rates were at the lowest in 2016 with just one third of marriages ending in divorce
- Most divorces happen between the age of 25 to 29 or in the late 40s
- After the age of 55 couples are more likely to stay together for the rest of their lives. What we found out
- Men hold more traditional views on romance with 64.6% saying that “love conquers all”
- Life stages influence romantic beliefs with romantic ideation at its highest in the late 20s and 30s, and lowest during the 40s
- Over 35% believed in “one true love” while 43% said that finding “true love” means being in love forever
- 60.9% of respondents believed that love surmounts all differences – this rate rose to 66.3% in the 30-39 age group
- 45.4% believed in love at first sight, 27.2% didn’t and 27.4% were neutral
