The ways in which the British make and break their relationships have changed over the last 25 years. Although far fewer couples are marrying, couple relationships are still as popular.

Divorce statistics released last week show a drop in the number of marriages ending in divorce. Many people are asking whether this is the credit crunch effect - couples staying together because they can't afford to break up.

However, thecoupleconnection.co.uk claim that In fact, that's unlikely, since the majority of couples considering divorce in 2007 would not have felt the impact of the economic downturn at that time.

"Right now many couples are experiencing a credit pinch if not the full crunch: in a recent YouGov poll more than 51% of couples said money worries are creating issues in their relationship. Couples who are in trouble and are thinking of splitting up find they can't sell their home, or move into separate properties. In many cases, this means people who might have abandoned their relationships in easier economic times now have greater incentive to make them work.

"For those that want to stay together, including those who may now feel they have little choice because of money issues, we've just launched a new online service - www.thecoupleconnection.net - to help people work on everyday problems before they reach the point at which divorce or separation becomes likely.

"The ways in which the British make and break their relationships have changed over the last 25 years. Although far fewer couples are marrying, couple relationships are still as popular but family life is more fragile. Annual divorce statistics no longer offer us a clear picture of the state of British relationships - those who don't marry can't divorce, but they and their children are just as likely, if not more likely, to experience the impact of relationship breakdown."