Attitudes and intentions toward prenuptial marriage contracts

Prenuptial marriage contracts can make the divorce process easier for separating couples and their children, yet few people enter them. To better understand public perceptions of these contracts, this research sought to identify predictors of attitudes and intentions toward prenuptial agreements and determine whether these outcomes can be manipulated.

Study 1 had no directional hypotheses. Study 2 replicated and extended Study 1. Consistent with Study 1 results, we hypothesized that beliefs about contracts (e.g., they are unromantic) would be stronger predictors of positive attitudes and intentions than other variables (e.g., age, education). We also predicted that participants who learned about prenuptial agreements would report more positive attitudes and intentions toward them than those who did not learn about them.

In Study 1, romantically attached participants (60.26% women, 65.89% White, M_age = 30.36) from an online sample reported on themselves, their relationships, and their attitudes, intentions, and beliefs regarding prenuptial agreements. Using an online sample, Study 2 (50.47% women, 68.14% White, M_age = 43.92) collected similar information. We also conducted an experiment in which we randomly assigned participants to read a news article about prenuptial agreements or an unrelated topic.

In Studies 1 and 2, demographic (age, education), individual (religiosity, attachment style), and relationship (satisfaction, length) characteristics were generally weak predictors of prenuptial agreement attitudes and intentions. In contrast, beliefs about the contracts accounted for considerably more variance, suggesting that attitudes and intentions toward these agreements are more strongly associated with perceptions of how they work, rather than with personal or relationship traits. Study 2 also demonstrated that a simple informational intervention was sufficient to shift views on prenuptial agreements.

Findings have implications for policymakers seeking to increase the use of prenuptial contracting to reduce the negative consequences of divorce and divorce litigation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).