A Meta-Analysis of the Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Marital Satisfaction

This preregistered meta-analysis aimed to determine the association of marital satisfaction with two demographic variables that are often used as indicators of socioeconomic status: income and education. It was hypothesized that income and education would individually have small to moderate associations with marital satisfaction. Data from 25,171 participants across 47 separate manuscripts and datasets were meta-analyzed in a random effects model. Results indicated there was no significant effect for income, but a small, significant effect for education such that increased education was correlated with greater marital satisfaction. The effect of education on satisfaction was moderated by the percentage of African American participants in the sample, meaning that when the sample included a greater percentage of African Americans, the effect of education and satisfaction was stronger. Overall, results indicate that education may be an important contextual factor for married dyads and researchers should be cautioned against controlling for demographic variables.