Nagging concerns about the global economic downturn and rising unemployment are forcing many young Britons to think twice about tying the knot this year, a think-tank said on Saturday.
Almost 80 percent of young British couples living together want to get married, the think tank Civitas said, but would reconsider their wedding plans due to increasing job losses as companies cut costs and lay off workers.
"As the recession bites it‘s going to be harder for partners to make that commitment - without financial stability and jobs they won‘t have the confidence to say ‘I do‘," Anastasia de Waal, director of family and education at Civitas, said.
The study, which surveyed 1,560 adults aged between 20 to 35, also found that for 50 percent of the people making a commitment was the most important reason to get married, and only two percent considered marriage for tax advantages.
"If my boyfriend asked me now, then I would still say ‘yes‘, but I wouldn‘t waste my money for a high-profile wedding," Jenny Brown, an employee works in London‘s central financial district.
But De Waal said the recession would have a serious impact on planning a life together.
"This is not about being able to afford a fancy wedding dress for 10,000 pounds or not."
A British Social Attitudes survey in January found that young people showed a less traditional attitude towards marriage and would put their careers first.
About 40 percent of people aged between 18 to 34 said marriage was still the "best kind of relationship," compared with 84 percent of people aged 65 and over, it said.
The release of the study coincided with the launch of Marriage Week UK on Saturday, using the slogan "Celebrating Commitment" and promoting the importance of marriage for family life and society.
英国一家智库机构上周六称，对全球经济衰退的担忧和不断上升的失业率让英国很多年轻人不得不重新考虑结婚计划。
英国智库机构Civitas称，英国近80%的同居男女想结婚，但在企业为削减成本纷纷裁员而导致失业率不断上升之际，他们不得不重新考虑结婚计划。
Civitas家庭和教育事务主管阿纳斯塔西娅•德瓦尔说：“受经济衰退的影响，下决心结婚也将变得更加困难，没有稳定的收入和工作，人们没有信心说‘我愿意‘。”
调查还发现，有50%的受访者认为给彼此一个承诺是结婚最重要的原因，仅有2%的受访者认为结婚是为了享受税收优惠。有1560名年龄在20岁至35岁之间的成年人参加了该项调查。
在伦敦中心金融区工作的珍妮•布朗说：“如果男友现在向我求婚，我还是会答应，但我不会浪费很多钱去大操大办。”
但德瓦尔称，经济衰退会严重影响两个人打算一起生活的计划。
“这可不是你能否买得起一件1万英镑的结婚礼服那么简单。”
今年1月开展的一项“英国社会态度”调查发现，年轻人对婚姻的态度已经不那么传统了，他们倾向于将职业发展放在首位。
调查称，在18岁至34岁的受访者中，约40%的人认为婚姻仍是“最美好的关系”，而在65岁以上的人中，这一比例则达到了84%。
该调查的公布恰逢于上周六启动的“英国结婚周”活动，该活动以“赞美婚姻”为口号，宣传婚姻对于家庭生活和社会的重要性。天译时代翻译培训收集整理
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