A MARRIAGE SAVED IS A PENNY EARNED: THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF MARRIAGE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Pacific Institute For Res And Evaluation, Beltsville MD

Investigators

Abstract

Despite the often small effects found when implementing marriage and family strengthening programs, these programs can be shown to have very large and important financial impacts on the population. Expected Value-Return on investment (EV-ROI) models previously developed by the project team will be expanded and applied to an evaluation of the Support Healthy Marriage (SHM) program funded by the Administration for Children and Families. These EV-ROI analyses will be compared to an analysis of program effects using more conventional tests of statistical significance and effect size calculations, similar to those already reported. The SHM data will allow an assessment of whether outcomes targeted by the SHM program (relationship dissolution and relationship distress) and secondary outcomes that co-occur with these outcomes (unwed pregnancy, alcohol/drug problems, depression, domestic violence, financial contribution to children, income, and use of public assistance) changed at 30 months as a result of the intervention. These data will be used to produce local average treatment effect estimates for each of these outcomes to determine the number of persons positively impacted by the program. The Return on Investment (ROI) analysis will also be used to suggest an upper limit on what the federal government should be willing to pay for SHM programming. The proposed study will examine the following hypotheses: (1) The effects of family and marriage strengthening initiatives on relationship outcomes yielded by traditional statistical significance tests and effect sizes are small; (2) Positive evidence of change in outcomes using conventional tests, while important, underestimates the true, practical significance of programs as suggested by ROI analysis; (3) ROI estimates suggest that marriage and family strengthening programs are indeed effective and have a much larger ROI than those achieved by for-profit businesses. Sample: SHM couple survey data that includes 6,298 couples (12,596 individual survey completers) at baseline who had a low to modest income level and a child under 18 or were expecting a child. Measures: Directly Targeted Relationship Outcomes ? Prior Marital Status ? Marital Status ? Living Together ? Relationship Distress Relationship Outcomes that Co-Occur with Distress/Dissolution ? Unwed Pregnancy ? Alcohol/Drug Problem ? Depression ? Domestic Violence ? Financially Contribute to Child's Upbringing ? Income ? Use of Social Services