By Michael Medved

Many sources still cite the long-discredited, utterly bogus statistic that half of all marriages end in divorce, but the Washington Post recently reported on analysis by Flowing Data that once again exposes the lie.

Among all Americans, nearly two-thirds of marriages last until one of the partners dies — there has never been a 50 percent divorce rate, and the rates of divorce have actually declined since 1981. With close to half of Americans now going to college, it’s significant to note that anyone with a bachelor’s degree will stand a 72 percent chance of remaining married ’till death. Interestingly, both Hispanics and Asians have significantly lower divorce rates than whites — presumably because of the emphasis on extended family.

Among Asians, an amazing 83 percent who marry will never divorce — sending an important message that marital breakup always has elements of choice, and shouldn’t be viewed as inevitable. Phony statistics shouldn’t scare couples away from marriage.