Facebook: Most Marry in Same Faith | NBC 7 San Diego
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Facebook: Most Marry in Same Faith



    Most people marry someone of the same religion, Facebook suggested in a recent study.

    Facebook data scientist Mike Develin using research of romantic relationships of those aged 21 or older with self-identified religions, wrote a report showing that most people marry within their religions. Even the country most lax about interfaith marriage, Spain, only had 28 percent of interfaith relationships.

    Despite prevailing notions, this endogamy existed across all continents including the United States, Asia and Europe. The United Kingdom, for instance has 73 percent same-religion relationships. In Taiwan, with dozens of religion, the numbers are even higher -- 90 percent. In the United States, that number is 86 percent.

    However, most of those dating those of other religions tend to be in their 20s, and are more likely to date someone of a different religion than to marry them. 

    Religions with the most endogamy were found to be Mormons and Sikhs. Jews were 15 times more likely to intermarry than Sikhs. Those using Jedi as a religion also had the highest rate of intermarriage, about 77 percent.
    The study, if one is to take it scientifically, tells us that despite how large our world is, we tend to make our private world a much smaller one. While one can experience interfaith marriage, few risk being ostracized or criticized by their communities.