A new study released earlier this month says that millennials are causing the divorce rate in the U.S. to drop.

Professor Philip Cohen from the University of Maryland examined data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Cohen’s analysis shows that divorces in the nation have decreased 18 percent from 2008 to 2016. His findings suggest that the decline in divorce rate isn’t a reflection of a decline in marriages. But rather evidence that marriages today last longer than they did 10 years ago.

Data shows Generation X, and especially millennials, are being pickier than previous generations and so they get married later in life. According to the analysis, millennials postpone marriage until they put their education, careers and finances on track; a trend that leads to longer-lasting marriages. Demographers say this is a very different approach than that of baby boomers, who married young, divorced and remarried.

Meanwhile, younger generations today opt to live together without tying the knot. Moreover, data shows those with less financial stability and lower education tend to not get married at all. We examine the findings and take a closer look at the trend in California.

Guests:

Megan Sweeney, demographer, department chair and professor of sociology at UCLA, her focus includes trends and differentials in family patterns and change in marriage patterns.

Steven Martin, demographer and senior research associate in the Center on Labor, Human Services and Population at the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank focusing on economic and social policy.