Peer-reviewed article
What does the American public know about child marriage?
David W. Lawson, Rachel Lynes, Addison Morris, Susan Barris Schaffnit ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study surveyed 609 American adults to assess their knowledge of child marriage, defined as marriage before age 18. The research found significant misconceptions: about half believed the legal age threshold is younger than 18, most thought child marriage occurs at age 15 or below, nearly all incorrectly believed it is illegal throughout the US, and many mistakenly associated it primarily with Muslim-majority regions rather than sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The authors conclude that poor public understanding, shaped by geographic and age-related misperceptions, could undermine global health initiatives and potentially seed misinformation.
Key points
- 50% of participants mistakenly believed the legal cut-off for child marriage is younger than 18 years
- Nearly 75% incorrectly believed most child marriages occur at age 15 or below, when they primarily take place in later adolescence
- The vast majority believed child marriage is illegal throughout the US, when it is actually illegal in only two states
- Participants mistakenly believed child marriage primarily occurs in Muslim-majority regions of the Middle East and North Africa, when it is most common in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
- Participants substantially overestimated the prevalence of child marriage in both the USA and internationally
Limitations
The study measures only American public knowledge and cannot tell us how these misconceptions affect actual policy outcomes or the effectiveness of anti-child marriage campaigns. The findings are specific to one country and may not reflect understanding or misconceptions in regions where child marriage is most prevalent.
Abstract
Abstract Background: A global campaign to eradicate ‘child marriage’ (<18 years) increasingly targets governments, the private sector and the general public as agents of change. Here, we measure the current state of public knowledge of child marriage, identifying potential misconceptions and inaccurate beliefs. We then consider the implications of our survey for global health initiatives addressing child marriage.Methods: We surveyed USA nationals via the online survey platform MTurk. Participants provided sociodemographic information and answered ten questions about their understanding of child marriage. To identify potential misconceptions and inaccurate beliefs we present descriptive statistics for participant responses paired with correct answers where available.Results: 609 participants provided data for analysis. 59% were women, with a mean age of 37 years, just over half (55%) were university educated, and the majority (79%) were currently employed. Half of those surveyed mistakenly believed that the cut-off for child marriage is younger than the legal threshold of 18 years, and nearly three-quarters incorrectly believed that most child marriages occur at 15 years or below (child marriage primarily takes place in later adolescence). The large majority of participants incorrectly believed that child marriage is illegal throughout the United States (it’s illegal in only two states), and mistakenly believed that child marriage primarily takes place among Muslim-majority regions of the Middle East and North Africa (it is most common in sub Saharan Africa and South Asia). Participants tended to substantially overestimate the prevalence of child marriage in both the USA and abroad.Conclusions: These findings suggest that public understanding of child marriage is not only poor, but also shaped by wider misperceptions of both relatively high and low-income nations. Organizations seeking to empower girls and young women by reducing child marriage need to be cautious of these misunderstandings, and wary of the potential for their own activities to seed misinformation. For example, we suggest the terminology ‘child marriage’, as opposed to ‘teen marriage’ or ‘adolescent marriage’, may contribute to widespread confusion about the typical ages at which child marriages occur.