a. Why has divorce become so prevalent in the U.S.?

b. I would use surveys to compare reasons for divorcing today in the U.S. against another culture and perhaps a study of an earlier U.S. period.

c. My survey would contain questions pertaining to:
-Expectations of the marriage
-Were/Are those expectations being met
-Economic status
-Education level
-Parents marital experience(s)

I would want to survey both married and divorced people to compare things like why married people who have thought about divorce ended up staying together, as well as things like was the person happiest when single (never been married), married, or divorced, and why they feel that way.

d. For ethical issues, I think the most important thing would be to gather participants from all walks of life to make sure that issues that pertain to certain groups of people are included (i.e. religious or cultural reasons for marriage, people who marry as teens or who wait much later on in life). If certain groups of people are not included, the full scope of reasons for divorce may not become apparent. For example, those people who may not have time to take part in a survey, may possibly have divorced due to lack of time devoted to a marriage.