(NewsNation) — Half of U.S. adults, millennials in particular, say they are open to signing a prenup, according to new data.
A September Harris Poll survey conducted for Axios shows 50% of U.S. adults said they supported the use of prenups, but only 1 in 5 married couples have a prenup.
This number is up from last year when 42% of polled adults said they supported the use of prenups.
The idea of a prenuptial agreement is especially popular among younger adults.
Of the people polled who are engaged or have been married, 41% of Gen Z respondents and 47% of millennial respondents said they entered a prenup.
“My own parents got divorced when I was 3, and money was a really contentious topic for them, [so] it was important that my partner and I had open communication about money,” Beth Williams, a 34-year-old newlywed who signed a prenup, told Axios.
One explanation for the increasing support for prenups is that Americans are getting married later in life, making them more likely to have individual assets
The number of women entering their first marriage between the ages of 40 and 59 has jumped 75% since 1990, according to Susan Brown, co-director of the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
Although prenups were long thought of primarily benefitting wealthier grooms, now “women see this as a way to financially protect themselves,” Williams, the founder and CEO of Future Wallet, told Axios.