Is Ring by Spring Still a Thing, or Was It Just a Fling?

Abstract

The ‘ring by spring’ (RBS) phenomenon entails pressures for college seniors on Christian campuses to become engaged by the spring semester of their senior year. These marital pressures often run counter to national trends in the USA as the median age at first marriage continues to climb. The social clock theory suggests that society places a normative timetable on major events such as marriage. But the social clock may not happen the same way for all people, and influences on Christian campus may represent deviations from most normative social clocks. This study investigated RBS awareness, experiences, pressures, and perceptions, along with assessing for differences in gender and religiosity across multiple universities, both Christian and not, across two different states. Results show wide awareness and experience with RBS at many universities along with some notable differences by gender and religiosity. Implications are provided for researchers and practitioners based on study findings.

1. Introduction

The ‘ring-by-spring’ (RBS) phenomenon entails the perceived pressure for college seniors on Christian campuses to become engaged by the end of the spring semester (George, 2019). The phenomenon often contradicts larger U.S. marriage and relationship trends, as the median age at first marriage continues to climb for both men and women, well past the typical college graduate age (Westrick-Payne, 2024). The social clock theory indicates that society places a normative timetable on pivotal life events such as marriage. Further, the social clock expects conformity to societally established norms and benchmarks, and deviations may bring adverse effects, social and otherwise (Neugarten et al., 1965). More contemporary iterations of the theory recognize that the social clock does not happen the same way for all people. For instance, RBS and other influences may point toward earlier marital ages, which are not consistent with national trends. The RBS phenomenon has not been widely investigated in the scientific literature, and with rises in the average marital age, it leaves questions as to the current prevalence of RBS. Using a social clock theory framework, this study seeks to assess the prevalence of RBS, investigate differences by gender and religiosity, and employ a qualitative analysis of thoughts and perspectives on the phenomenon. This study uses a multi-site data collection design, looking at ring-by-spring prevalence and differences in universities with Christian affiliations and without, in states with relatively high marriage rates and lower marital age (i.e., Utah and Oklahoma; Loo, 2023; Westrick-Payne, 2024).

2. Influences on Marital Timing

While there are various factors which influence attitudes and perspectives on marriage and marital timing, a discussion of all these factors is beyond the scope of this literature review. A discussion of those factors most salient to the RBS phenomenon will be presented in this review, namely how religion influences personal decision processes and the social/cultural expectations related to marriage.

Religion and marriage are often strongly connected concepts and practices (Leavitt et al., 2024; Marks, 2005). Using a Western religious lens, marriage is often viewed as a sacred union, where God/Deity is part of the relationship. Marriages are frequently commenced with religious ceremonies, and these unions are presented as a stable family unit for raising children and contributing to society (Wilcox, 2017). Religious individuals are more likely to value marriage, to get married, and to marry earlier than those who are not religious (McClendon, 2016; J. Uecker, 2014; Willoughby et al., 2015). Additionally, those who attend private religious colleges/universities are even more likely to marry and marry earlier than those who do not attend such colleges—upwards of 40% of these students marry by age 25 (Kelchen, 2017).

Religious teachings and perspectives are often transmitted to children in the family by parents, other family, and clergy. Religious ideas and perspectives passed on to children can affect values, perspectives, and beliefs, including ideas on marriage and divorce (Bornstein et al., 2017; Kapinus & Pellerin, 2008; Willoughby et al., 2012). In addition, the dating and engagement practices of close social connections such as family and friends can have an influence. Parental relationships and marriage behaviors have a particular effect, as parents who marry earlier tend to have children who marry earlier (Arocho & Kamp Dush, 2017; J. E. Uecker & Stokes, 2008). Furthermore, the practices and beliefs of close peer groups can also have an influence on marital timing (Johnson et al., 2017). Students at Christian colleges/universities who see those in their close peer groups reaching engagement and marriage can feel added pressure to engage in such practices themselves (George, 2023).

Social expectations in highly religious states may also play a role, where many espouse and act upon predominate beliefs about marriage being a generally positive event and are more accepting of young marriage than less religious states. In this way, larger cultural facets can have influences on individuals and decision-making. This can be the case in highly religious states such as Utah and Oklahoma where conservative faith ideologies are common components of the culture (Masci & Gecewicz, 2018; J. Uecker, 2014). Both of these states have higher marriage rates and lower marital ages than other states and both have long histories of supporting marriage and relationship programs (Carter, 2024; Loo, 2023; Westrick-Payne, 2024).

3. Connecting to the Social Clock Theory

Researchers have sought for decades, even centuries, to describe, define, and categorize human behavior and development over the course of a lifetime. The life course approach, also known as the life course theory or life course perspective, examines how different areas of an individual’s life and experiences shape that individual and their life using a sociological lens (Ungvarsky, 2024). However, life-span theories vary in their view and methods of describing an optimal path of development. Two such theories include Erik Erikson’s normative-crisis model and the timing-of-events model. Erikson’s well-documented model focuses on a series of social crises experienced throughout an individual’s life that are either resolved or interfere with future psychological development (Erikson, 1950; Rossi, 1980). In contrast, the timing-of-events model suggests that, rather than a series of social crises that drive individual development, social decisions are spurred by individuals’ expectations for an average life cycle (Rossi, 1980). This cycle comprises a standard, or normative, set of events anticipated to occur during one’s life. Thus, people make decisions that will keep them “on-time” for their social expectations.

Due to the expectation that there is a “normative” life cycle with identifiable events and stages, individuals often view themselves and others within the context of those expectations. These preconceived notions of events frequently lead to scripts of what are considered age-appropriate behaviors or age norms (Neugarten et al., 1965). Many factors work together in the formation of these scripts, including, but not limited to, culture, historical and social context, cohort variability, and gender (Billari & Liefbroer, 2007; Helson et al., 1984; Momtaz et al., 2021; Zang, 2024). Mass societal conformity to these patterns tends to cement them as a blueprint people expect and are expected to follow.

One theory that stems from the timing-of-event model and ideology is the social clock theory. The social clock theory is a concept that describes socially prescribed timelines for milestone life events. These milestones encompass a variety of life events such as moving out, attending college, obtaining a full-time job, marriage, child rearing, buying a home, etc. (Billari & Liefbroer, 2007; Helson et al., 1984; Momtaz et al., 2021; Neugarten et al., 1965; Neugarten, 1979; Rossi, 1980; Zang, 2024). One aspect of the social clock theory is the potential pressure people feel to meet these check points “on time”. When individuals do not complete these milestones in the way or in the timeframe they hope for and expect (or feel that others expect of them), or fail to achieve them entirely, they are likely to experience some discomfort, anxiety, and fear (Helson et al., 1984; Momtaz et al., 2021; Neugarten et al., 1965). This distress may result from several factors such as their desire to have these experiences or worry over possible social censure (Helson et al., 1984; Momtaz et al., 2021). Thus, individuals often become hyperaware of their progress (or lack thereof) in these life events.

Young adults are highly conscious of the weight of societal pressures regarding life events. One study found that compared to older adults, young adults have a greater tendency to perceive others as being more rigid regarding age norms (Neugarten et al., 1965). While it is often true that others (especially older adults) hold stricter opinions, the disparity between their personal opinions and those of other individuals is also exaggerated (Neugarten et al., 1965). In short, people perceive greater disparity of opinion than is real. The pressure that young adults feel, whether perceived or real, applies to many major life events, but is particularly notable relating to dating, courtship, and marriage (Shulman & Connolly, 2013). For example, Carlson (2012) found that for those who did not meet their preference for age at marriage experienced significant mental health deficits when compared to those who did. Thus, in some cases, this may result in increased anxiety in the search for a partner and can even play a factor in young adults’ decisions about when to get married, with some individuals getting married sooner than they might otherwise. This pattern in turn leads to the development of concepts among young adults such as RBS and other related phenomena.

Connecting to the theory, there are several things to consider. First, it is possible that people who live in states identified as being generally more religious might have social expectations that promote younger mean marriage ages. Second, it could also be possible that people who choose to seek out Christian higher education may have a unique social clock compared to those who do not seek such a specific educational setting. Finally, it is certainly plausible that the social clock basically resides in the individual and is not tied to either the state or educational environment. What is certain is that the timing of the social clock is not the same for everyone, and there are different factors at play influencing the social clock for marital timing. RBS may be a specific example of this phenomenon, where religious and other contextual influences combine to create unique marriage markets and earlier marital timing.

4. Need for the Current Study

One of the very few examples to examine the RBS phenomenon with any depth is the book Ring by Spring: Dating and Relationship Cultures at Christian Colleges by George (2019). George’s book is a much-needed step in the right direction to understanding the influences of the phenomena. The book outlines findings on the pressures to marry from society, family, peers, and religion, and points out that a lack of preparation and making hasty decisions about something as serious as marriage can have lasting consequences. But George’s book only examines the phenomenon through students at Whitworth University, a private, Christian university with fewer than 3000 students in Spokane, WA. The research for the book was also completed a number of years ago. This current study offers a more contemporary and expansive view, looking at the prevalence of RBS cross multiple universities, Christian-affiliated and not, in two different states. It also looks at perspective differences by gender and connections to religiosity. This study offers a broader approach, using social clock theory as a lens to the prevalence and influence of RBS in differently religiously affiliated colleges/universities in different states.

The following research questions were posed for this study:

• R1: How does RBS awareness and experience differ by university?
• R2: What are the main pressures to marry reported?
• R3: How do RBS influences differ by gender?
• R4: How do RBS pressures associate with religiosity and how do pressures differ by levels of religiosity?
• R5: What are people saying about RBS

5. Method

5.1. Sample

The sample was composed of 575 individuals. The sample was primarily female (81.8%), with ages ranging from 18 to 76 (M = 22.71; SD = 6.49). For race/ethnicity, most reported White/Caucasian (87.5%), with Hispanic/Latino/LatinX (7.7%), and Asian or Pacific Islander (3.3%) as the next largest groups. For education, most reported “some college” (63.6%), “high school diploma” (15.2%), and “college graduate” (14.1%). For household income, 50.8% reported income up to $30,000, 15.8%, $30,001–$60,000, 14.8%, $60,001–$90,000, and 18.6%, over $90,000. For relationship status, most reported “single” (42.6%), “married” (24.2%), or “committed relationship, not living together” (23.3%).

5.2. Procedure

An IRB-approved online Qualtrics survey was distributed across college campuses and social media targeting nine universities: five with Christian affiliation and four without in Utah and Oklahoma. One university (Brigham Young University—Idaho) was surveyed, but due to nominal responses, these responses were included with those of the Brigham Young University main campus in Provo, UT since they share the same faith affiliation. No compensation was provided for participation.

5.3. Measures

Ring by spring awareness: Measured via one item created for his study: Have you heard of the ring by spring concept on a faith-based campus? (1 = No, 2 = Not sure, 3 = Yes).

Ring by spring experience: Measured via one item created for his study: Ring by spring is/was something that happens/happened at the college/university I attended. (1 = No, 2 = Not sure, 3 = Yes).

Ring by spring influences: Measured via three items created for this study: I feel/felt pressure to be married during college or by the time I graduate/graduated (1 = Strongly disagree—7 = Strongly agree); The “ring by spring” concept is/was very present where I attend/attended and influences/influenced students to be engaged or married by graduation (1 = Strongly disagree—7 = Strongly agree); The pressure to marry during college or before graduation comes more from my own religious beliefs than other pressures at the college/university I attend/attended (1 = Strongly disagree—7 = Strongly agree).

Ring by spring pressure origins: Measured via the following item created for this study: If you did feel pressure to marry during college or before graduation, where did that pressure come from? Select boxes for: Parents, Peers, Religious beliefs, Religious leaders, Other family, “Ring by spring” ideal/concept, Other (please specify).

Religiosity:In terms of religious beliefs would you describe yourself as: (1 = Not religious at all, 2 = Slightly religious, 3 = Moderately religious, 4 = Very religious).

Ring by spring personal connections: Measured via the following open response item: If you have heard of the “ring by spring” concept, what can you tell us about how this happens/happened at your college/university?

5.4. Analytic Plan

For research questions one and two, frequencies were utilized to tabulate data on RBS awareness and experience by school, as well as sources of pressures to marry by university. For research question three, an independent samples t-test was used to assess for differences in RBS pressures by gender. For research question four, one-way analysis of variance was used to assess for associations between religiosity and RBS influences and pressures. A follow-up Sheffe post hoc test was used to assess for significant differences by group.

For research question five, the RBS personal connections answers were analyzed via conventional content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). This analysis technique is commonly utilized when research literature on the topic of study is limited. Conventional content analysis uses a system of open coding, looking for themes and ideas to emerge from the transcript data, allowing the transcripts to be approached for “what they are.” Themes found through this manner are clustered into categories based on similarity (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005; Silverman & Marvasti, 2008). A team of three researchers reviewed the answers multiple times and a list of open codes was created by each researcher arising from the themes found in the data. Open codes were created from repeated reviews of the responses. Each researcher created a list of open codes based on patterns of similarity. The agreement between coders for the most often mentioned open themes was high (above 90%). Since inter-coder agreement was high, a coding strategy was devised organizing themes into groups based on related meaning and content (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Elo & Kyngas, 2007; Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). The coding strategy was then used to organize themes for the responses. New codes and revisions to the coding strategy were added based on discussions among researchers. Any disagreements were resolved through revisiting the responses and devising a consensus on the most representative code. As a final step, codes were clustered into overarching themes and counted. These overarching themes are discussed in the next section.

6. Results

R1: How does RBS awareness and experience differ by university?

Please see the

Table 1. Ring by spring awareness by college/university (Have you ever heard of the ring by spring concept on a faith-based campus?).

University	No	Not Sure	Yes
Brigham Young University—Provo/Brigham Young University—Idaho	0% (0)	3% (2)	83.3% (55)
Utah State University	45% (9)	2% (10)	45% (9)
Weber State University	50% (22)	9.1% (4)	40.9% (18)
Utah Valley University	55.1% (76)	3.6% (5)	41.3% (57)
Southern Utah University	49.2% (60)	7.4% (9)	43.4% (53)
Oklahoma Baptist University	2.6% (3)	0% (0)	97.4% (114)
Oklahoma Christian University	0% (0)	0% (0)	100% (19)
Other	52.6 (20)	10.5% (4)	36.8% (14)

and

Table 2. Ring by spring awareness by college/university (Ring by spring is/was something that happens/happened at the college/university I attend/attended).

University	No	Not Sure	Yes
Brigham Young University—Provo/Brigham Young University—Idaho	0% (0)	16.7% (11)	83.3% (55)
Utah State University	15% (3)	60% (12)	5% (25)
Weber State University	18.6% (8)	62.8% (27)	18.6% (8)
Utah Valley University	11.1% (15)	54.1% (73)	34.8% (47)
Southern Utah University	16.2% (19)	59% (69)	24.8% (29)
Oklahoma Baptist University	1.7% (2)	7.7% (9)	90.6% (106)
Oklahoma Christian University	0% (0)	0% (0)	100% (19)
Other	33.3% (12)	50% (18)	16.7% (6)

below:

R2: What are the main pressures to marry reported? (If you did feel pressure to marry during college or before graduation, where did that pressure come from?) Responses are not exclusive, and participants could choose more than one option. Please see

Table 3. Pressures to marry reported by percentage.

Peers	45% (259)
Religious beliefs	28.9% (166)
Parents	25.6% (147)
Other family	23.3% (134)
Ring by spring ideal/concept	20% (115)
Religious leaders	19.7% (113)
Myself (write-in response)	3.6% (19)

.

R3: How do RBS influences differ by gender?

The t-test analysis assessing for differences in RBS influences and pressures by gender showed there was no significant effect for gender on any of the items, but the I felt pressure to be married during college item was approaching significance; t(568) = 1.91, p = 0.056, women (M = 4.25, SD = 4.14) and men (M = 3.80, SD = 1.89). While not statistically significant, women tended to have higher means than men on all of the items. Please see the descriptive statistics for gender by school below (

Table 4. Gender descriptive statistics by university.

University	Male	Female
BYU/BYU-Idaho	5	69
Utah State	3	13
Weber State	3	39
Utah Valley University	30	116
Southern Utah University	9	48
Oklahoma Baptist University	35	104
Oklahoma Christian University	2	21
Other	3	29

) for all items in

Table 5. Descriptive statistics for ring by spring awareness, experiences, and influences items.

Item	Men		Women
	M	SD	M	SD
Heard of ring by spring	2.15	0.95	2.26	0.95
Ring by spring happens/happened at my college/university	2.39	0.63	2.39	0.68
I felt pressure to be married during college	3.80	1.89	4.25	2.14
Ring by spring influenced students to be engaged or marry by graduation	4.45	1.71	4.47	1.83
The pressure to marry during college comes more from my own religious beliefs	3.49	1.87	3.78	1.84

.

R4: How do RBS pressures associate with religiosity and how do pressures differ by levels of religiosity?

A series of one-way ANOVAs were performed to evaluate the relationship between the RBS awareness, experiences, and influences items with religiosity. The means and standard deviations are presented in

Table 6. Have you heard of the ring by spring concept on a faith-based campus by religiosity? By religiosity (1 = No, 2 = Not sure, 3 = Yes).

	M	SD
Not religious at all	1.57	0.88
Slightly religious	1.73	0.94
Moderately religious	2.20	0.95
Very religious	2.28	0.94

,

Table 7. Ring by spring is/was something that happens/happened at the college/university I attend/attended by religiosity (1 = No, 2 = Not sure, 3 = Yes).

	M	SD
Not religious at all	1.48	0.67
Slightly religious	1.59	0.65
Moderately religious	1.90	0.69
Very religious	2.02	0.62

,

Table 8. I feel/felt pressure to be married during college or by the time I graduate/graduated by religiosity (1 = Strongly disagree–7 = Strongly agree).

	M	SD
Not religious at all	3.57	2.30
Slightly religious	3.71	2.10
Moderately religious	3.85	2.20
Very religious	4.58	1.96

,

Table 9. The ring by spring concept is/was very present where I attend/attended and influences/influenced students to be engaged or the marry by graduation by religiosity (1 = Strongly disagree–7 = Strongly agree).

	M	SD
Not religious at all	3.84	1.89
Slightly religious	3.57	1.78
Moderately religious	4.56	1.82
Very religious	4.77	1.71

and

Table 10. The pressure to marry during college or before graduation comes more from my own religious beliefs than other pressures at the college/university I attend/attended by religiosity (1 = Strongly disagree–7 = Strongly agree).

	M	SD
Not religious at all	3.31	2.08
Slightly religious	3.27	1.93
Moderately religious	3.66	1.82
Very religious	3.93	1.78

below by dependent variable.

Table 11. Study ANOVA results.

	Not Religious		Slightly Religious		Moderately Religious		Very Religious
	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	F	η2
Have your heard of ‘ring by spring’	1.57	0.88	1.73	0.94	2.20	0.95	2.28	0.94	15.77 ***	0.27
‘Ring by spring/was something that happened at my university	1.48	0.67	1.59	0.65	1.90	0.69	2.02	0.62	15.96 ***	0.33
Felt pressure to be married during college or by graduation	3.57	2.30	3.71	2.10	3.85	2.20	4.58	1.96	7.74 ***	0.05
‘Ring by spring’ was present at my university and influential	3.84	1.89	3.57	1.78	4.56	1.82	4.77	1.71	11.24 ***	0.28
The pressure to marry during college or by graduation comes from my own religious beliefs	3.31	2.08	3.27	1.93	3.66	1.82	3.93	1.78	3.62 **	0.03

** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.

reports data from the ANOVA analysis.

The ANOVA was significant at the 0.05 level for all dependent variables: Heard of ring by spring [F(3, 569) = 15.77, p < 0.001; η² = 0.27]; Ring by spring happens/happened at my college/university [F(3, 553) = 15.96, p < 0.001; η² = 0.33]; I felt pressure to be married during college [F(3, 562) = 7.74, p < 0.001; η² = 0.05]; Ring by spring influenced students to be engaged or marry by graduation [F(3, 556) = 11.24, p < 0.001; η² = 0.28]; The pressure to marry during college comes more from my own religious beliefs [F(3, 559) = 3.62, p = 0.013; η² = 0.03].

Post hoc comparisons using the Sheffe test indicated that the mean score for the Heard of ring by spring dependent variable the Very religious (M = 2.28, SD = 0.94) and Moderately religious (M = 2.20, SD = 0.95) groups were significantly different than the Slightly religious (M = 1.73, SD = 0.94) and Not religious (M = 1.57, SD = 0.88) groups. For the Ring by spring happens/happened at my college/university dependent variable the Very religious (M = 2.02, SD = 0.67) and Moderately religious (M = 1.90, SD = 0.65) groups were significantly different than the Slightly religious (M = 1.59, SD = 0.69) and Not religious (M = 1.48, SD = 0.62) groups. For the I felt pressure to be married during college dependent variable the Very religious (M = 4.58, SD = 1.96) group was significantly greater than the Moderately religious (M = 3.85, SD = 2.20), Slightly religious (M = 3.71, SD = 2.20), and Not religious (M = 3.57, SD = 2.30) groups. For the Ring by spring influenced students to be engaged or marry by graduation dependent variable the Very religious (M = 4.77, SD = 1.71) group was significantly greater than the Slightly religious (M = 3.57, SD = 1.78) and Not religious (M = 3.84, SD = 1.89) levels, and the Moderately religious (M = 4.56, SD = 1.82) group was significantly greater than the Slightly religious (M = 3.57, SD = 1.79) groups. For the The pressure to marry during college comes more from my own religious beliefs dependent variable although the overall F-test for the ANOVA was significant, there were no significant differences by group.

R5: What are people saying about RBS?

The major themes and counts of themes from the conventional content analysis are outlined below.

(1) Time Bound (201)—Many people associated RBS with specific time markers. These included seasons, semesters, school year, year in college (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), graduation, life stages, etc. Sometimes this included specific months, or the number of months, but more often it was a fixed marker in time, mostly in relation to schooling and college attendance. However, there were also references to other life events/stages, including completion of religious missions, particularly for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Responses varied for which year of school was the focus for RBS, i.e., some people said it was by the end of the freshman year, others sophomore or junior year, and some just before graduation, etc., and not necessarily just a senior year practice.

Supporting quotes from the data:

• Southern Utah University student: “I think it’s a phenomena where students early in college find a partner and get married to them by the spring semester.”
• Southern Utah University student: “It’s basically where people start dating the minute they move out and go to college and then are engaged or married by spring semester.”
• BYU/BYU-Idaho student: “Desire to get married by the end of winter term (one school year).”
• BYU/BYU-Idaho student: “People have a goal of getting engaged by the spring aka the end of the semester. I feel like this was the main goal of a lot of freshman my freshman year, and then a thing again my senior year before graduation. In between, most people I knew got engaged in spring, but it felt less of a MUST and more of a convenience of if you get engaged before spring you can have a summer wedding and those are better than non-summer weddings. It just felt less dictated by societal pressures of the insanity of not getting engaged by 19 or just not getting engaged before you graduate, as if that really dictates anything.”
• BYU/BYU-Idaho student: “I only know it’s a thing that happens most commonly at BYU but when men return from their missions their next goal is to get married so it is not uncommon for them to propose during their spring semester.”
• “Other” University student: “People meet and become infatuated with each other based on usually surface level traits, and become engaged to be married before the end/shortly after the end of the “honeymoon phase.” they get married because that’s “just what you do” in this phase of life.”

(2) Speed and Length of Time (108 responses)—Although similar to the last theme, this theme was distinct from the “time bound” theme because the responses were more focused on the length of time a couple had been dating before getting engaged/married. People would frequently mention how “fast” or “quickly” peoples’ relationships progress, usually counting months rather than using other frames of time references. While most of the responses explicitly mentioned the speed or length of individuals’ relationships, others implied it with phrases such as “after only knowing each other for a few months”, “within a few months of meeting/dating”, etc.

Supporting quotes from the data:

• Weber State University student: “People meet, date, and marry all within a handful of months.”
• Southern Utah University student: “A couple meets, dates for a short while and is engaged and married within the year.”
• Southern Utah University student: “My peers seem to get engaged very quickly after dating for a short time.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “It’s just said as a joke really, but the joke is you have to get engaged/married by spring. It mostly refers to the idea that especially freshman year, relationships at a Baptist school seem to move and develop fast.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “It’s in reference to how relationships are formed quickly (during welcome week) and marriage is pursued quickly. This can be for a lot of reasons but perhaps because of a misapplication of biblical principles of guarding one’s heart and ‘guarding another’s heart’.”

(3) Expectation/Motivation (108 responses)—For this theme, anything that discussed peoples’ motivations for pursuing or wanting RBS was noted. While many comments talked about it as something that “just happens”, many comments talked about people who went into college with the specific expectation, hope, intent, or goal of getting into a serious relationship and getting engaged or married. Results were mixed for the timing of this expectation. Several individuals suggested that it was simply convenient timing for planning a summer wedding, and others suggested that it is pressure from external sources (society, religion, culture, upbringing, etc.) that drives people to strive to achieve an RBS.

Supporting quotes from the data:

• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “RBS is one’s goal to get (at least) engaged before the end of the school year, or by the end of their time on campus.”
• BYU/BYU-Idaho student: “People joke about it because of how quickly our peers sometimes get married. It’s also used to humorously express the desire to be in a relationship.”
• Utah Valley University student: “In my social experience throughout college and particularly (being LDS) it is common to have the goal or desire to get married as quickly as you can once you find “the one”.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “Students feel at least some pressure or increased desire to enter relationships or get married because of the abundance of couples (dating or married) around them.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “Some kind of social pressure that is never officially stated but everyone is aware of.”
• Utah Valley University student: “I think it is just a joke that a lot of people get engaged in the spring so that they can have a summer wedding. Some probably shouldn’t get engaged so soon but do because of this mentality.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “At OBU many people get engaged in November and December. These have been mostly seniors and sophomores but also a few freshmen. In my mind they get engaged by spring so that they can have enough time to plan a wedding for the summer.”

(4) Meeting Someone (92 responses)—This theme was specifically tied to the idea that individuals who experience or participate in RBS did not previously know their partner. While a few people felt that couples had actually been dating for some time, the majority seemed to believe that a critical element of RBS was meeting someone new. They specifically mentioned meeting someone before having RBS. These included comments about “finding someone” or references to “only knowing someone for a few months” as well. This was usually connected to the idea that people move quickly into more serious stages of a relationship shortly after meeting them for the first time.

Supporting quotes from the data:

• BYU/BYU-Idaho student: “Usually people meet in the fall semester, are serious through the winter semester and are engaged by April, hence the RBS concept.”
• Weber State University student: “People meet, date, and marry all within a handful of months.”
• Southern Utah University student: “Someone will start attending the university in the fall semester, meet someone, and by the time spring semester comes along, they are engaged and/or married.”
• BYU/BYU-Idaho student: “People meet around the beginning of the school year and quickly start dating. They are engaged by spring which means they often haven’t even been dating more than 6 months, which seems like a very fast turnaround from being strangers to being engaged.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “Well the concept is that people are in a hurry to get married as it seems like the next step for them. Guys come to college prepared mentally and financially to marry a woman he will meet within the first few years. Women will come to college prepared to find their future husband in the next guy they date.”
• Oklahoma Christian University student: “At my university, I noticed that during freshmen orientation, many if not most single individuals meet someone and begin dating them soon after. If this relationship lasts, they are usually engaged and married a year or so later. If this relationship does not last, the individuals quickly find someone else who is no longer in a relationship. It seems that most people are uncomfortable with being single for an extended period of time and are even more uncomfortable with the idea of not finding their spouse in college.”
• Utah Valley University student: “Get into a serious relationship really fast and get married within a few months. go on lots of dates and try to find your SO as fast as possible.”

(5) Religious Connection (72 responses)—This theme included any references to universities that are specifically known for being religious institutions (OBU, OC, BYU/BYU-Idaho, etc.). Additionally, explicit mentions of faith, beliefs, religion, church, missions, Christianity, or any other connection to spirituality were included. Many individuals cited these constructs as providing external pressure towards marriage. Sometimes this was due to religious prohibitions against sexual activity outside of marriage. Other times it was because of the sacred nature and importance of marriage were emphasized by Christian faiths. Several respondents implied that the concept of RBS is directly tied to faith and religion, suggesting that the phenomenon is relegated to religious institutions.

• Utah Valley University student: “I feel like it’s mainly a joke but religious couples do tend to get married quickly.”
• Utah Valley University student: “In the dominant religion in Utah, it is common to meet someone, be engaged, and even married within a few months.”
• BYU/BYU-Idaho student: “The expectation is deeply engrained in the religious culture. I think people often assume relationship status correlates to commitment to God and religion.”
• BYU/BYU-Idaho student: “Pressure to get married. Belief that it’s the most important. Desire for sexual intimacy not permitted outside of marriage by religion.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “I think there’s a lot of factors but the main points I think are: sexual attraction is a taboo subject in the church only “unlocked” after marriage so youths experiencing hormones feel pressure to get married when they find a new semi stable relationship in college (because they think they’re an adult now). Because marriage is the assumed end goal of a relationship in religious circles young adults in their first relationship don’t feel they’re allowed to date freely and thus rush into marriage when they feel the dating relationship is going well. The idea that dating is such an unserious label means there’s pressure to convey their serious feelings by putting a more committed label on the relationship like engaged or married. Finally the social acceptance of relationships with large age gaps means students feel that it’s okay to get married early and don’t see any downside to being in a committed relationship before they’re out of college (obviously I think marriage in college limits developmental growth).”
• “Other” University student: “Not sure how it happened/happens in my university, but it was common among certain groups of young adults in my church. I believe that many young adults rushed into marriage due to the purity culture in my religious community. They wanted to wait until marriage, which made them rush it. I believe this led to many people go into marriage unprepared and with a clouded vision.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “Many Oklahoma Baptist University students value marriage as part of their faith journey and see college as a prime time to find a spouse who shares their beliefs. Tight-Knit Community—OBU is a small, relationally focused campus where people form close friendships quickly, often leading to serious relationships. Social Clubs and Campus Events—Organizations like social clubs (OBU’s version of sororities/fraternities) and student ministry groups create opportunities for deep connections. Many couples meet through these activities, Bible studies, or shared leadership roles. OBU-Specific Traditions—The TWIRP (The Woman Is Required to Pay) event is a fun fall tradition where girls ask guys on dates, sometimes sparking new relationships. There are also formals, campus worship nights, and mission trips where couples bond. Cultural Expectation (Kind of a Joke, Kind of Not)—While RBS isn’t a rule, it’s a common joke that if you’re in a serious relationship by junior year, people start asking, “When’s the wedding?” Some students lean into it, while others push back against the pressure.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “Christians want to find a significant other that loves the LORD, and to them, this is best done by trusting God to bring them someone, However, many times they rush into things.”
• Oklahoma Baptist University student: “A lot of people on a Christian college find people that have very similar beliefs and enjoy one another! People commit themselves to serious relationships because both of the people in the relationship are on the same page about life and putting God at the center of it. Making a family is pretty common in a Christian community so RBS is not shocking for Christian college campuses.”

7. Discussion

This is the first scientific study to investigate RBS prevalence, perspectives, and important differences by gender and religiosity across multiple universities and across multiple states. The findings from many of the universities which were part of this study, especially those with Christian affiliations, show that RBS is very much alive and well—and for many, a commonly heard of and practiced phenomenon. The results of the study are discussed in further detail below.

The data show that across universities, whether Christian-affiliated or not, there was a wide awareness of the RBS concept, and to a lesser degree, something that happens/happened at the university. Of course, this was much more the case at Christian-affiliated schools, where upwards of 80% (and even near and at 100% at the Christian-affiliated schools in Oklahoma) had heard of the concept. This was also the case for reporting RBS as something that happens/happened at the university. Even for the non-Christian-affiliated schools in Utah, upwards of 40% had heard of RBS and upwards of 20% reported that RBS happens/happened where they attend/attended. These results highlight the Christian university connection with RBS but also to the larger cultural presence of relationship and marital behaviors in high marriage rate states such as Utah, as many from non-Christian-affiliated schools in the state reported an awareness of RBS and that it does/did happen at the school they attend/attended (George, 2019; Neugarten et al., 1965).

Also, although not everyone knows the concept of RBS specifically, there are many interconnected ideas and related phenomenon that convey the same sort of sentiment. The respondents shared other references to the concept they had heard as well, such as “BYU-I do”, “MRS degrees”, and “cuffing season”. So, while the term RBS does still seem to resonate, other terms that represent similar phenomena are also prevalent, which may indicate the vernacular of the phenomena may also be experiencing some transformation.

Women also tended to feel more pressure regarding marriage. Although not statistically significant, women, in general, had higher means than men on the RBS awareness, experiences, and pressures items. It may also be the case that women may have felt more pressure to complete the study survey on relationships/marriage (Herzberg et al., 2022), or may have been overrepresented in family studies classes and had more opportunity to complete the survey (Langlais et al., 2018). All of this points toward the ideas that the RBS may not be alive and well in the same way for men and women, event though men often are the ones proposing marriage in more traditional circles.

In addition, many mentioned RBS as something that does not only happen during the senior year, but perhaps much earlier. Thus, the phenomena may hold slightly different meaning at different locations, indicating the social clock may be ticking much earlier than the senior year (Neugarten et al., 1965), while emphasizing the need for healthy relationship education earlier along the relationship trajectory. This changes what is typically thought of as true ‘ring by spring’ and underlines the notion that certain pressures to marry may appear well before the senior year, suggesting the need for greater attention to and implementation of research-based services on relationships/marriage earlier than previously thought.

The data on the most salient pressures to marry showed peers to be the top influence, followed by religious beliefs and parents. The large peer influence may represent the unique context where RBS is most practiced at Christian-affiliated schools. At these schools, it is more likely that students are getting engaged and married, thus the influence of these practices to influence peer behavior is greater. In this manner, the engagement/marriage culture at Christian colleges/universities appears to be most influential through peer networks. Students who see their peers engaged or married by graduation are likely to feel additional pressure to do likewise and even believe they may be falling behind on the life trajectory by not engaging in these practices during college. Such peer pressures and behaviors have shown to be more present on Christian college campuses (George, 2023).

Most of the ANOVA analyses produced results that supported the idea that the more religious a person or university was, the more likely they knew or had experience with the RBS idea. A couple of the individual analyses, however, are interesting and somewhat unexpected. For example, the only group to express significantly different pressures to marry during college was the highly religious group. The moderately religious were just as likely as the highly religious to note the RBS presence on their campus, but only the highly religious seemed to connect it significantly differently to their own personal life. A second noteworthy finding was in the Ring by spring influenced students to be engaged or marry analysis where we find that the Not Religious students had an unpredictably high mean score. Why would the “not religious” group have a higher mean than the “slightly religious”? Further investigation might suggest looking at where these “not religious” students went to school. If they were over-represented at religious schools (compared to slightly religious) then that might expose them to enough of a different environment that they may have had more people in their social network who were influenced by the RBS thinking. The religion and marital timing link is not always clear or logical (Stone & Wilcox, 2021), and these are questions in need of further investigation.

Interestingly, 19 respondents took the time to add to the open-ended part of the question that marriage pressures were coming from “myself” or something very similar. This likely indicates a strong internal pressure/influence connected to marriage and the importance of marriage. Although not directly supported by data, and needing further investigation, these internal inclinations connecting to the importance of marriage likely tap into religious belief systems emphasizing the importance and centrality of marital (and family) relationship(s) as a means to connect to God/Deity and live a more fulfilled life (Marks, 2005; Wilcox, 2017; Willoughby et al., 2015).

8. Connecting Findings to the Social Clock Theory

The results of this study demonstrate the variability in individuals’ experiences with the social clock. Survey responses revealed that participants do indeed sense a perceived timeline to which young people are expected to adhere regarding engagement and marriage practices; however, there was a wide range of ideas for when these milestones were expected to be reached. For example, contrary to the definition of RBS suggested throughout this paper, the concept used by George (2019), college seniors were not the only group expected to or hoping to receive an RBS. These results also reinforce the idea that social clocks may vary between demographic populations as shown by the sentiments expressed by individuals with differing levels of religiosity and at religious vs. nonreligious universities. This is also reflected in the contrast of responses from participants in different states, suggesting that the larger cultural context also influences an individual’s recognition and understanding of RBS (Helson et al., 1984; Zang, 2024). As indicated by the results of the question regarding sources of pressure to marry, we understand that multiple points factor into the scripts that form the social clock, including parents and peers, in addition to the assumed religious influence (Billari & Liefbroer, 2007; Helson et al., 1984; Momtaz et al., 2021; Zang, 2024).

9. Implications, Limitations, and Conclusions

Implications for Researchers and Practitioners

The results of this study are highly relevant for clinicians and relationship/marriage educators. These findings support that cultural phenomenon, such as RBS, can influence the decision-making of college students, especially in certain contexts. By becoming aware of this process, clinicians can be better informed and therefore more intentional in helping clients to actively explore, evaluate, and integrate or discard the message. Similarly, educators could explicitly encourage pre-marital couples to discuss their experiences with pressures to marry and invite them to consider other factors that better represent marital readiness. The specific results indicating similarities by gender and differences by level of religiosity are also informative here, helping practitioners to know who may be most likely to be influenced.

Many of the open-ended responses commenting on the RBS phenomena referred to the process as a “joke”, “hurried”, “rushed”, or to marriage happening “so fast”. Yet much of the data also showed that RBS was happening and sometimes happening frequently at many of these universities. Relationship educators working with emerging adult populations should discuss healthy aspects of relationship decision-making, and key components of relationship development to help maximize chances for success.

Also, although awareness of the RBS idea was pervasive in this study, a clear or cohesive definition of the idea remained elusive. Descriptions were generally connected to engagement but had vast definitional differences. Future research should explore if particular themes or descriptions are connected to specific universities or religious practices or whether they are simply a random artifact of the lack of clarity on the idea.

Additionally, further research should explore how pressures related to marriage, such as RBS affect overall individual and couple well-being. Given the lack of clear relationship development pathways in current Western culture, examination of attitudes or beliefs such as RBS may help professionals better understand premarital sex and cohabitation patterns. A greater understanding of the overall effects of such pressures can help those who work with issues related to relationship development know better when and how to help.

The study design is cross-sectional, thus, no claims can be made about causality. Also, the sample was primarily Caucasian and female and overall lacking in ethnic diversity. The lack of sample diversity prevented race-based analysis. Thus, the findings of this study may not be representative of those or more diverse gender and ethnic groups and backgrounds. Future research should investigate RBS at other universities with different race/ethnicity compositions, such as primarily African American institutions with a strong Christian-faith emphasis. Also, this study only examines universities in states with high marriage rates and further research should seek to truly identify if this is a phenomenon that is directly tied to religious universities and cultures, or if it is applicable on a broader scale. Since universities without specific religious affiliations also seemed at least partially aware of this concept, it’s possible that it exists outside of high marriage states as well.

However, this study shows that RBS (or related vernacular) practices are highly prevalent in the areas represented in this study, more influential for females, and connected to higher levels of religiosity. The findings also shed light on which factors of the social clock are more influential, how, and for whom. These findings represent important information for those who study or work with romantic relationship health, presenting key ideas on what factors are more influential and for whom. In changing relationship climates, such as those in which we live, investigations that seek to understand which factors have the greatest influence on relationship health and relationship health over time should be at the forefront of our efforts.