Public divided over prenups

January 21, 2013, 2:40 PM GMT+0

The British public are evenly split over whether they would sign a prenup before getting married, according to our recent survey.

35% of Brits say they would sign a prenuptial agreement if their fiancé asked them to, while 36% of people would not agree to it. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Elizabeth Taylor are among British celebrities who have signed prenups, whereas Russell Brand, Guy Ritchie and Prince William decided not to.

Age differences

The poll reveals significant age divides amongst Brits on the issue, with 18-39 year olds being more likely to say that they would sign a prenuptial agreement.

  • Over a third (34%) of people aged 18-24 say they would sign a prenuptial agreement if their fiancé asked them to, compared to a quarter (25%) that would not
  • Four in ten (40%) 25-39 year old Brits believe that they would agree to a prenup, while a third (33%) disagree
  • 35% of those aged 40-59 think that they would sign a prenuptial if their fiancé suggested it, but 38% wouldn’t agree
  • Three in ten (30%) Brits over the age of 60 say they would agree to a prenup, compared to a plurality (42%) that would not

Scots most against prenups

People living in Scotland are the most likely to reject a prenuptial agreement, with 46% of Scots saying that they would not sign one and only a quarter (25%) saying they would. In comparison, Londoners are the most positive about a pre-marital contract, with 38% claiming that they would sign a prenup, compared to 32% who would not.

Prenup laws

Other YouGov research conducted in 2010 found that 72% of Brits think that prenuptial agreements should be recognised by law. Prenuptial agreements became enforceable by law in English divorce courts in October 2010.

See the full results of our recent survey here

Click here to see the results of our 2010 survey