There was a 16% increase in the number of couples that attended marriage preparation programmes run by Accord for the Catholic Church last year.
An online Amárach survey of 1,000 people last year found that a significant number of adults aged 18-24 identify as Roman Catholic (69%).
This is compared to 53% of 25-34 year olds and 76% of all adults.
The survey, with a +/- 3.1% margin of error, which was carried out in August, shows that 60% of unmarried Catholics would want to marry in a Catholic Church (including 63% of under 35s).
Of Catholics who married outside of a church venue, 40% would have chosen to have their wedding officiated by a Catholic priest if that option were available.
Less than half of Catholics, 47%, were aware of the possibility of having a wedding ceremony in a church without also having a mass.
Fewer than a quarter, 23%, of Catholics were aware of convalidation ceremonies, which are church weddings after a civil ceremony.
The survey commissioned by Accord marks Valentine's Day and the presence of the holy relics of St Valentine, which are contained in a reliquary within a dedicated shrine in Dublin.
Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin and President of Accord Bishop Denis Nulty blessed the engagement ring of an engaged couple at the Shrine of St Valentine in the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street.
Lauren Stewart and David Higgins got engaged in early 2025 and are getting married in April in the Church of the Most Holy Rosary, Abbeyleix, Co Laois.
The couple completed the Accord Marriage Preparation Programme, which is delivered over a 24-hour period, and they described it as "practical".
"It moves fast and it prompts you to consider aspects of your relationship you may have overlooked," they said.
In 2025, Accord provided 239 programmes for 3,612 couples in the State, outside of the Dublin area.
Bishop Nulty welcomed the increase in the number of couples attending the preparation programme and expressed his gratitude to the Accord volunteers in each of the dioceses.
