LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A study of Google search data for ‘divorce lawyers’ showed that divorce inquiries during the pandemic were reported to be 45% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
DivorceAnswers.com, a resource dedicated to legal information about divorce, revealed that Americans searched for ‘divorce lawyers’ over 6 million times during the pandemic. The study also broke down these searches across states, which were weighted by population.
The state in #1 place with the highest number of searches was New Jersey with 238,560 online inquiries – around 3.4% when compared to a population of 6,919,226. In last place with the fewest number of inquiries was Alaska, with just 5,040 online searches for ‘divorce lawyers’ during the pandemic.
The study showed couples in Nevada were among the least happy during the lockdown, as they placed in 8th position nationally. Nevadans made 68,880 online divorce inquiries, representing 2.9% of the adult population.
The study also highlights divorce lawyers reporting 16-hour work days when divorce courts began to reopen in the summer of 2021, just to cope with inquiries from Americans who wanted out of their marriages.
DivorceAnswers.com also found that divorce inquiries didn’t let up throughout the year, even over the Christmas period, which is usually a more sedate time when it comes to divorces.
Additionally, Kris Lippi from ISoldMyHouse.com reported that inquiries for 1-bedroom rentals increased 37% since March 2020.
Lockdowns were undoubtedly a contributing factor to this trend, the study showed – perhaps, the study speculates, some marriages had been hanging on by a mere thread before the pandemic, and being forced to face these issues during lockdown may have been the breaking point for many.
Furthermore, Lauren Cook-McKay from DivorceAnswers.com observed that “spending more time together, having more time in general and having limited opportunities to leave the house may have resulted in some discovering their partner’s hidden traits, such as extra-marital affairs or dishonest behavior.”
The study also noted a less-reported reason is that the financial turmoil caused by the pandemic meant that getting divorced made more financial sense – that is, if the bread-winning spouse lost their job, the subsequent loss of income would mean a lower settlement.
Ultimately, while lockdowns and social isolation prompted many to separate and seek a divorce, the study found that many marriage counselors have identified that for many couples, their relationships actually strengthened.
