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A Next Big Idea Club Must-ReadUniversity of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox explains how our ruling class publicly disparages marriage - the institution most likely to deliver prosperity and happiness to ordinary Americans - while privately embracing it.America is in crisis. Happiness is falling, loneliness and despair are rising, too many schools are riddled by fights and failure, crime is unacceptably high, and the American Dream is out of reach for millions. The problems are visible to us all, but virtually no one is talking about the solution that matters most: Marriage.New research by University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox shows that Americans who get married and have children today are leading happier and more prosperous lives, on average, than men and women who are single and childless.