2-3 pages, APA style in-text and after-text citations.

Task is to “compare how two different sources report on the same issue.”
Issue: Why doesn’t everyone marry?

- What is the source of the report? What do you know about the source? What do you
know about the individual author? (Note: answering this question may require you to do
some Google searching).
- How does each report approach the issues? How is the information reported
similar/different (e.g., what categories/labels are used)?
- What relationships between different variables (e.g., parental divorce and marriage
intentions) are interpreted/inferred? Does the conclusion follow from the ‘facts’
presented? How so?
- What’s the purpose of the report (e.g., to change policy)?

LAPP & LAPP:

1. The source of the report is the Heritage Foundation. It is a politically conservative think
tank that deals in public policy. The specific authors of this text are, as evidenced by
their names, a married couple, both of whom are writers for these sorts of groups, they
have five kids and are catholic.
2. The report clearly approaches the issue from a conservative standpoint — that is, they
believe the downturn in marriage and upturn in divorce is a bad thing. They refer to
“divorce culture” leaving a “legacy” of “trauma and a crisis of trust.”
3. They interpret a direct relation between parental divorce and the “ease” of young
people marrying. That is, although young people aren’t necessarily against the idea of
marriage, they are certainly much warier than previous generations. They believe that
younger generations are “shaken” by failed marriages, whether they be divorced or
*not* divorced and simply unhealthy. They also presume that the cultural deregulation
of “sex and dating” has negatively affected young people’s belief in the institution of
marriage. This conclusion follows from the facts presented (i.e. as they’re given in the
article), as it makes sense for people who grew up with parents in an unhealthy
relationship might be more cautious of getting married to someone who might turn out
just as problematic. This, however, is a blanket statement, and doesn’t necessarily
acknowledge the fact that some couples are happily divorced, remarried, or otherwise.
4. As previously mentioned, this article was published by the Heritage Foundation. As this
group aims to affect public policy (and has, in the past, influenced the politics of
presidents such as Reagan), it is likely that articles such as these are put out to provide
an elementary reference to utilize when trying to change laws dealing with divorce or
marriage. They can be pointed at to prove that, say, we need more incentives for people
to marry or deterrents for divorce. After all, as a think tank, they are looked at not to
specifically erect policies themselves but to provide specialized advice and ideas —
articles such as those written by Lapp & Lapp are certain to encourage their clients to a
more conservative stance.
Just a note: they reference a study done in 2001-2002? This was published in 2016? They used a
graph that shows how vast a difference there can be in those 15-14 years? They interviewed
“young adults in a mostly white working-class town in Ohio”?