MOST YOUNG SINGLES NOT ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR ROMANTIC PARTNERS

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PEW RESEARCH - Most young singles in America do not describe themselves
as actively looking for romantic partners. Even those who are seeking
relationships are not dating frequently. About half (49%) had been on no
more than one date in the previous three months.

These findings emerge from a national survey conducted last fall by the
Pew Internet & American Life Project. The survey found that dating in
America is, indeed, affected by online matchmaking activity. But in
analyzing our findings, we discovered another story: Large numbers of
single Americans are not actively looking for relationships and even
significant numbers of those looking for partners are not that active on
the dating scene.

While the majority of American adults (56% or 113 million people) are
not in the dating market (they are married or living as married), the
number of potential romance-seekers is still huge. Fully 43% of adults
(87 million people) say they are single.

About a quarter of unmarried Americans (26% or about 23 million adults)
say they are in committed romantic relationships. Single men are more
likely than single women to report being so situated. Yet among the
uncommitted, relatively few say they are in the market for
relationships.

Among all singles, just 16% say they are currently looking for a
romantic partner. That amounts to 7% of the adult population. Some 55%
of singles report no active interest in seeking a romantic partner. This
is especially true for women, for those who have been widowed or
divorced, and for older singles. Yet even among the youngest adults, the
zest for romance is somewhat muted: 38% of singles ages 18-29 say they
are not currently looking for a romantic partner, compared to 22% in
that age cohort who are looking for partners.

No doubt many reasons underlie the relatively small size of the active
dating population. One suggested by this survey's findings is the type
of community in which singles live.

When singles who are actively looking for partners were asked about the
dating scene where they live, a majority of those actively seeking dates
(55%) said it was difficult to meet people. Only 43% said it was easy,
while 2% said they didn't know.

Moreover, when asked to describe the dating possibilities where they
live, a plurality, 47%, said there were very few single people in their
town they would be interested in dating. Another 41% said there were
lots of single people in their town that seemed interesting but 10% said
they didn't know much about the local singles scene.

57% of city dwellers who are looking for dates say there is plenty of
dating potential in their communities compared with 38% of date-seeking
suburbanites and only 21% of date seekers residing in rural settings.

Whatever the reasons, few of today's seeking singles describe themselves
as active on the dating scene. Asked how many dates they had been on in
the past three months, singles who said they were in the dating market
reported the following:

- 36% said they had been on no dates in the previous three months.

- 13% had been one date.

- 22% had been on 2-4 dates

- 25% had been on 5 or more dates.
In our sample of internet users, we found that those who are in serious
long-term relationships or marriage are equally as likely to have met
through friends or in a work or school setting. Still, bars remain a
relatively popular place for long-term relationships to begin. Here is a
rundown from the survey of how the internet users in marriages or
long-term relationships first encountered each other.

-  38% met at work or school.
-  34% met through family or friends.
-  13% met at a nightclub, bar, café, or other social gathering
-  3% met through the internet.
-  2% met at church.
-  1% met by chance, such as on the street.
-  1% met because they lived in the same neighborhood.
-  1% met at a recreational facility like a gym.
-  1% met on a blind date or through a dating service.

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1/not-looking-for-love

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