Originally published at National Catholic Register

A new report by the Institute for Family Studies found that church attendance is correlated with happy, fulfilling marriages but urges parishes to increase support for big families.

Amid a loneliness epidemic, recent research shows faith and family are  “antidotes to isolation.”

A report published by Institute for Family Studies on Sept. 25 found that churchgoing Catholic couples are happier than other couples. In fact, happiness more than doubled among spouses who attend church compared with their peers.

Among the report’s most notable findings is that despite cultural challenges to faith and a decline in marriage, people who attend church consistently report higher levels of happiness and their marriages are strong.

The report drew on data from the General Social Survey (GSS), CARA data, YouGov, Pew Research, and other sources.

Report co-author Brad Wilcox, senior fellow and director of the Get Married Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, noted that “churchgoing Catholics and Protestants marry more, have more children, and divorce less than their secular peers.”

“The good news in the report is that the happiest and most sexually satisfied husbands and wives are churchgoing Catholics,” Wilcox told EWTN News. “For instance, 79% of churchgoing Catholics and 74%

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