Marriage Prediction Scale

by Professor Ernest W. Burgess and Dr. Leonard S. Cottrell

I. ITEMS FOR PROSPECTIVE HUSBANDS	Score for Each Item
1. Your place in your family:
Am only child	0
Am oldest child	15
Am middle child	20
Am youngest child	15
No reply	0
2. Most attached to which brother or sister:
Only child	0
No special attachment but have brother or sister	20
Most attached to older brother	20
Most attached to older sister	10
Most attached to younger brother	15
Most attached to younger sister	15
No reply	0
3. Area of residence:
City *: rooming house area	0
City *: area of "first settlement"	15
City *: area of "second settlement" (newer neighborhoods)	20
City *: hotel area	0
City *: apartment and apartment hotel	10
City *: private homes of better class	20
City *: suburbs	30
Other city: above 10,000	10
Small town (not city* suburb): below 10,000	20
Village and rural	15
No reply	0
4. Degree of education:
Grade school only	0
High school	0
Professional school (not collegiate)	0
College graduate	10
Graduate or professional work (beyond college)	20
No reply	0
5. Occupation:
None	0
Accountants	15
Advertising	15
Architects	15
Athletic coaches	20
Auto mechanics	5
Automobile salesmen	10
Bank employees	10
Bankers	15
Barbers	5
Bond salesmen	10
Bookkeepers	10
Brokers	10
Carpenters	5
Chemical engineers	20
Civil engineers	15
Clerks	10
Clothing store owners	15
Contractors	15
College professors	20
Corporation officials	15
Dentists	10
Druggists	10
Educational administrators	15
Electrical engineers	15
Electricians	10
Engineers	15
Factory foremen	10
Farmers	10
Garage owners	10
Gas station employees	5
Government workers	15
Grocery-store owners	15
High-school teachers	20
Insurance salesmen	10
Laborers	0
Lawyers	15
Mail clerks	10
Managers	15
Meat-market owners	10
Mechanics	5
Ministers	20
Musicians	5
Newspaper workers	15
Office workers	15
Owners, large business	15
Plumbers	5
Printers	10
Railroad-office workers	10
Real-estate salesmen	5
Salesmen (unclassified)	10
Skilled workers (unclassified)	5
Small-store owners	10
Store salesmen	15
Students	20
Teachers	15
Traveling salesmen	0
Truck drivers	5
Wholesale salesmen	15
All others	10
No reply	0
6. How long have you held your present position?
Less than one year	10
One to less than three years	0
Three to less than five years	10
Five to less than seven years	5
Seven years or more	0
No reply	0
7. Your work record:
Never worked because in school, or worked only at school vacation time	15
Irregularly employed or continually changing jobs	0
Regularly employed	20
No reply	0
8. Present monthly income:
None	10
Under $150	0
$150 to under $250	10
$250 to under $350	5
$350 or more	0
No reply	0
9. Amount of savings:
None	0
Under $1000	10
$1000 to under $2000	20
$2000 to under $3000	15
$3000 and over	10
No reply	0
10. Financial index at marriage: Multiply your age (nearest birthday) by your present monthly earnings (example: 23 by $110 equals 2530). Then divide your savings by this number (example: $1200 divided by 2530 equals 17). If your index is:
0 (no savings)	0
Between .01 and .29	15
.30 and over	20
No reply	5
11. Family-background index (To obtain this, see Explanation A):
Under 69	0
70–89	5
90–119	25
12.Present amount of religious activity (attendance at church, and so on):
Member, but not stating amount of church attendance	5
No attendance at church or church affairs	0
Attend no more than once a month	10
Attend two or three times a month	20
Attend four or more times a month	15
No reply	0
13. Age when you stopped going to Sunday school:
Never went	10
Stopped at 10 years or younger	0
Attended until between 11 and 18 years of age	20
Attended until 19 or more years of age	30
No reply	10
14. Number of social organizations of which you are a member:
None	0
One	10
Two	15
Three or more	20
No reply	0
15. Childhood and adolescence were spent chiefly in:
City (10,000 or over)	0
Small town (less than 10,000)	10
Country	30
No reply	0
16. Number of women went with steadily before fiancŽe:
None but fiancŽe	10
One	5
Two or three	5
Four or five	5
Six or more	0
No reply	0
17. Number of men friends:
Almost none	0
A few	5
Several	20
Many	20
No reply	0
18. Marital status of your parents:
Married, both living	5
Separated or divorced	0
Both dead	5
Father dead	15
Mother dead	20
No reply	0
19. Your estimate of happiness of your parents' marriage:
Very happy	40
Happy	20
Average	10
Unhappy	20
Very unhappy	0
No reply	20
20. Amount of disagreement and conflict with your father:
None	40
Very little	30
Moderate	30
A good deal	15
Almost continuous	0
No reply	20
21. Do your parents favor your proposed marriage?
Both "yes"	20
One "yes," the other "no"	0
Both "no"	5
No reply	5
II. ITEMS FOR PROSPECTIVE WIVES 1. Your place in your family:
Am only child	0
Am oldest child	10
Am middle child	10
Am youngest child	0
No reply	0
2. Area of residence:
City*: rooming-house area	5
City*: area of "first settlement"	10
CITY*: area of "second settlement" (newer neighborhoods)	3
City*: hotel area	5
City*: apartment and apartment hotel	0
City*: private homes of better class	15
City*: suburbs	15
Other city: above 10,000	10
Small town: (not city* suburb) below 10,000	20
Village and rural	15
No reply	5
3. Degree of education:
Grades only	0
High school	20
Professional school (not collegiate in grade)	20
College graduate	30
Graduate or professional work	40
No reply	10
4. Occupation:
None	5
Domestic service	0
Unskilled industrial	0
Clerical and office, semiskilled operators, and so on	0
Skilled office secretaries, stenographers	10
Nursing	5
Professional — teaching	20
Professional — social work	5
Professional — law, medicine, and so on	0
Business women (high paid)	10
Other occupations, such as student, and so on	5
No reply	10
5. Is your present occupation in harmony with your vocational ambitions?
Have no special vocational ambition	0
Yes, in harmony with my ambitions	20
Slightly different from my ambitions	20
Greatly different from my ambitions	5
No reply	15
6. If employed, how long held present position?
Less than one year	0
One to less than three years	5
Three to less than seven years	10
Seven years and over	20
No reply	0
7. Your work record:
Never worked	0
Occasionally worked	5
Regularly employed	15
Housekeeper at home	10
Steadily engaged in outside activities (not gainful employment)	20
No reply	10
8. Your present monthly income.
None	10
Under $100	0
$100 to tinder $150	15
$150 to under $200	20
$200 and over	20
No reply	0
9. Amount of your present savings:
None	15
Under $500	5
$500 to under $1500	15
$1500 to under $2500	10
$2500 and over	20
No reply	5
10. Family background index (To obtain this, see Explanation A):
Under 54	0
55 to 64	15
65 and over	25
11. Present amount of religious activity (attendance at church, and so on):
Member, but not stating amount of church attendance	5
No attendance at church or church affairs	0
Attend no more than once a month	5
Attend two or three times a month	5
Attend four or more times a month	10
No reply	5
12. Age when you stopped going to Sunday School:
Never went	0
Stopped at 10 years or younger	0
Attended until between 11 and 18 years of age	10
Attended until 19 or more years of age	20
No reply	0
13. Number of social organizations of which you are a member:
None	5
One	0
Two	10
Three or more	20
No reply	0
14. Number of women friends:
Almost none	0
A few	20
Several	10
Many	30
No reply	20
15. Your estimate of happiness of your parents' marriage:
Very happy	20
Happy	20
Average	10
Unhappy	0
Very unhappy	0
No reply	0
16. Amount of your disagreement and conflict with your father:
None	10
Very little	0
Moderate	0
A good deal	5
Almost continuous	0
No reply	5
17. Do parents favor your marriage?
Both "yes"	20
Father "yes"; mother 11 no"	15
Father "no"; mother "yes"	0
Both "no"	5
No reply	5
III. ITEMS COMMON TO BOTH HUSBAND AND WIFE 1. How long have you known each other?
Under six months	0
Six months to less than two years	10
Two years to less than five years	20
Five years to less than ten years	25
Ten years or more	30
No reply	20
2. How long have you been "keeping company"?
Under one year	0
One year to under three years	5
Three years and over	20
No reply	5
3. Difference between your ages (nearest birthdays):
Same age	5
Husband older by one to three years	5
Husband older by four to seven years	0
Husband older by eight or more years	10
Wife older by one to three years	10
Wife older by four or more years	30
No reply	0

Both parents of superior or reputable status 20 20 One parent of superior or reputable and another of inferior status 10 10 Both parents of inferior status 0 0

EXPLANATION A — FAMILY BACKGROUND INDEX OF FATHER AND MOTHER a. Religious preference of father and mother (Catholic, Jewish, Protestant):
	Husband's Score	Wife's Score
Both parents same	20	10
Different	0	0
One or both not known	10	5
b. Education of parents:
Both parents college	30	20
One college, one high school	20	15
Both parents high school	15	10
One college, one grammar school	15	10
One high school, one grammar school	10	7
Both parents grammar school	7	5
One no education	5	3
Both parents no education	0	0
One or both unknown	7	4
c. Order of birth parents:
Oldest and oldest	30	20
Oldest and middle	10	8
Oldest and youngest	10	8
Oldest and only	20	15
Middle and middle	10	8
Middle and only	20	15
Youngest and youngest	10	8
Youngest and only	0	0
Only and only	0	0
d. Number of brothers and sisters of parents:
5 or more on both sides	20	10
5 or more on one side and 4 on the other	18	9
5 or more on one side and 3 on the other	17	8
5 or more on one side and 2 on the other	16	8
5 or more on one side and 1 on the other	15	7
5 or more on one side and 0 on the other	14	7
4 and 4	15	7
4 and 3	14	7
4 and 2	13	6
4 and 1	12	6
4 and 0	10	5
3 and 3	14	7
3 and 2	13	6
3 and 1	12	6
3 and 0	9	5
2 and 2	12	6
2 and 1	11	5
2 and 0	9	4
1 and 1	11	5
1 and 0	8	4
0 and 0	0	0
One or both not known 7 4
e. Social status of parents' families in their community:
* 200,000 population or over

From: When You Marry
By Evelyn Millis Duvall and Reuben Hill
1945