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Pew Enquiry Center conducted this study to understand Americans' attitudes toward and personal experiences with dating and relationships. These findings are based on a survey conducted Oct. 16-28, 2019, amid iv,860 U.Due south. adults. This includes those who took part as members of Pew Enquiry Center'south American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses, besides every bit respondents from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel who indicated that they identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB).

Recruiting ATP panelists past telephone or postal service ensures that nearly all U.South. adults accept a chance of selection. This gives united states of america confidence that whatsoever sample tin can represent the whole U.Due south. adult population (come across our Methods 101 explainer on random sampling). To further ensure that each ATP survey reflects a balanced cross-section of the nation, the data are weighted to lucifer the U.S. developed population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories.

For more, see the report's methodology nearly the project. You can too find the questions asked, and the answers the public provided, in this topline.

Partnered adults are those who say they are currently married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship.

Unmarried or unpartnered adults are those who say they are currently not married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship. A modest share of unmarried adults report that they are casually dating someone.

Daters, single-and-looking and on the dating market all betoken that someone is currently not married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship and has indicated that they are looking for a committed romantic relationship just, casual dates only or either a committed romantic relationship or casual dates.

Not dating, non looking, non-daters or not on the dating marketplace means someone is not married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship and has indicated that they are not currently looking for a relationship or dates.

Human relationship, committed relationship and committed romantic relationship are used interchangeably.

Casually dating someone refers to single adults who say they are currently casually dating someone – regardless of whether they say they are looking for a committed romantic relationship, casual dates or neither.

LGB is sometimes used as a shorthand for adults who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, regardless of the sex of their partner, if they are partnered.

Online dating users or online daters refer to the 30% of respondents in this survey who answered yes to the following question: "Have you e'er used an online dating site or dating app?"

References to White and Blackness adults include only those who are not-Hispanic and identify every bit simply one race. Hispanics are of whatever race. The views and experiences of Asian Americans are not analyzed separately in this report due to sample limitations. Data for Asian Americans and other racial and ethnic groups are incorporated into the general population figures throughout the study.

References to college graduates or people with a college degree comprise those with a bachelor's degree or more education. Some college includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college merely did non obtain a degree. Loftier school refers to those who have a high school diploma or its equivalent, such every bit a General Education Development (GED) certificate.

All references to party affiliation include those who lean toward that political party. Republicans include those who place every bit Republicans and independents who say they lean toward the Republican Political party, and Democrats include those who identify every bit Democrats and independents who say they lean toward the Democratic Political party.

References to those living in urban, suburban and rural areas are based on respondents' answer to the following question: "How would yous describe the community where you currently alive? (one) urban, (ii) suburban, (three) rural."

Most daters say their dating lives aren't going well and it's difficult to find people to dateEqually more Americans turn to online dating and the #MeToo movement leaves its imprint on the dating scene, well-nigh half of U.S. adults – and a bulk of women – say that dating has become harder in the last 10 years.

Among those who are on the dating market – the xv% of American adults who are single and looking for a committed relationship or casual dates – most say they are dissatisfied with their dating lives and that information technology has been difficult to find people to date, co-ordinate to a Pew Research Centre survey conducted in Oct 2019.1

While single-and-looking men and women report equal levels of dissatisfaction with their dating lives and the ease of finding people to date, women are more likely to say they have had some especially negative experiences. Most women who are currently single and looking to date (65%) say they have experienced at least ane of six harassing behaviors asked most in the survey from someone they were dating or had been on a date with, such as beingness touched in a way that made them uncomfortable or rumors being spread nigh their sexual history. This compares with 50% of men who are unmarried and looking. The pattern holds when looking at all women and men, whether they are currently on the dating market or not.

Women are as well more likely to see risk – both physical and emotional – when information technology comes to dating. When those who say dating has become harder for most people in the last 10 years are asked to draw in their own words why they recollect this is the instance, women are twice as probable every bit men to cite increased risk. For their part, men are more likely than women to say technology is a reason dating has gotten harder. Overall, 47% of Americans say dating is now harder than information technology was ten years ago, while 19% say information technology's easier and 33% say it's about the aforementioned.

Long-distance relationships, debt and voting for Donald Trump top list of relationship deal breakersSingles who are looking for a relationship are generally open to dating people with many different traits and from a variety of backgrounds. For example, large majorities say they would consider a relationship with someone of a unlike religion or dissimilar race or ethnicity than them. Most besides say they would seriously date someone who makes significantly more or significantly less money than them. When information technology comes to being in a relationship with someone who lives far abroad, has a significant corporeality of debt, or who voted for Donald Trump, however, many of those who are looking for a relationship would hesitate.

The nationally representative survey of four,860 U.S. adults was conducted online Oct. 16-28, 2022 – before the coronavirus pandemic shook the dating landscape – using Pew Enquiry Center's American Trends Console.2

Among the other cardinal findings:

Most Americans say it'due south harder for men to know how to bear on dates in the era of the #MeToo movement

The public sees challenges for men dating in the era of #MeToo A majority of the overall public (65%) says the increased focus on sexual harassment and assault in the last few years has fabricated information technology harder for men to know how to interact with someone they're on a date with. About a quarter (24%) say it hasn't made much difference, and 9% say it has become easier for men to know how to behave. Fewer people call back this focus on harassment and attack has made information technology harder for women to know how to interact with someone they're on a date with (43%), while 38% say information technology hasn't made much difference for women.

Men – particularly older men – and Republicans are more likely than women and Democrats to say it's harder for men to know how to human action when dating in the era of the #MeToo movement, though majorities across the lath limited this view. For instance, 75% of men ages 50 and older say it is now harder for men to know how to carry on dates, compared with 63% of men younger than 50, 58% of women younger than fifty and 63% of women 50 and older.

Premarital sex is largely seen every bit acceptable, just about view sex on a commencement engagement and open up relationships as taboo

Most Americans say premarital sex is at least sometimes acceptable Most adults (65%) say sex activity betwixt unmarried adults in a committed relationship is acceptable at to the lowest degree sometimes, including 43% who say this is ever acceptable. Coincidental sex between consenting adults who are not in a committed relationship is also seen as generally adequate (62%). About half (49%) say it is acceptable for consenting adults to substitution explicit images of themselves.

When information technology comes to open relationships – that is, a committed human relationship where both people concord that it is acceptable to date or have sex with other people – the public is less accepting. Some 32% retrieve this can be adequate at least sometimes (regardless of whether they would do it themselves), while 48% say open up relationships are never adequate. Having sex activity on a starting time date is besides still seen as taboo by some. While 30% say it can exist acceptable under some or all circumstances, 42% say it is never acceptable.

Younger adults are more likely to see these dating norms as acceptable – sometimes dramatically so. For example, 70% of xviii- to 29-year-olds say consenting adults exchanging explicit images of themselves tin be acceptable at least sometimes, compared with just 21% of those ages 65 and older. Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults also tend to exist more accepting of these norms than their straight counterparts. In fact, LGB adults are the only demographic group studied in which a majority said that open relationships are always or sometimes acceptable (61% vs. 29% of directly adults).

Vast majorities say that breaking up through applied science is mostly unacceptable, and few say they would 'ghost' someone

Breaking up in person is largely seen as the only acceptable way to end a committed relationshipDespite concerns that Americans' ascension dependence on communicating through technology would atomic number 82 to more impersonal breakups through devices, most hold that breaking up in person is the way to go. The vast majority of adults say that it is ever or sometimes acceptable for a person to break upwards with a committed romantic partner in person (97%). About half (51%) say it is at least sometimes acceptable to break upwardly over the telephone – though only ten% say this is always acceptable. Far fewer say information technology can be acceptable to suspension upward through a text message (14%), email (14%) or private message on a social media site (11%). In fact, most say it is never acceptable to stop committed relationships through those forms of engineering. The shares are strikingly similar when it comes to breaking up with someone a person is casually dating rather than in a committed relationship with.

The survey also asked those who are unmarried and looking for a human relationship or dates how they would let someone know they didn't want to get out with them again after a start date. Just 8% say they would ghost someone (cutting off communication). Virtually half (52%) say they wouldn't take the initiative to reach out simply would permit the other person know if they got in touch. The remaining share (40%) say they would contact the other person to let them know. Single-and-looking men are evenly separate on whether they would proactively let the other person know if they didn't desire to exit over again after the start date (47%) or wait for the other person to contact them before letting them know (47%). A bulk of single-and-looking women (59%), on the other hand, would respond if the other person got in bear upon outset, while 30% say they would proactively attain out and permit the other person know.

Single people overall report that they don't feel much pressure from order and the people they know to observe a partner

Most single people don't feel a lot of pressure to find a partnerMost single people (including both those on and off the dating market) say they don't feel a lot of pressure level to find a partner from their friends, family unit or gild in general. About ii-in-ten (22%) say they feel at least some force per unit area from friends, while 31% say the same about family members and 37% say they feel society is pressuring them.

Feeling pressure to be in a committed relationship is highly dependent on age. Younger singles feel much more pressure level from each source. For instance, 53% of single 18- to 29-year-olds say there is at to the lowest degree some pressure from society to find a partner, compared with 42% of 30- to 49-yr-olds, 32% of l- to 64-year-olds and 21% of those ages 65 and older. In fact, a bulk of singles 65 and older – the vast majority of whom are widowed or divorced, in contrast to young singles who are mostly never married – say they feel no pressure at all from each of these sources.

Unmarried women and men give different reasons for difficulty finding people to date

Women say it's hard to find someone who is looking for the same kind of relationship and meets their standardsDaters who had difficulty finding people to date in the past year were asked about some of the possible reasons that might exist the instance. Among these daters, the most common explanations include the challenge of finding someone who is looking for the same type of relationship (53% say this is a major reason), difficulty in approaching people (46%) and trouble finding someone who meets their expectations (43%).

There are large differences by gender on this topic. Single-and-looking women are far more likely than single-and-looking men to say that trouble finding someone who was looking for the same kind of human relationship or who meets their expectations are major reasons they've had difficulty. In plow, men are much more likely than women to say difficulty approaching people is a major reason.

Roughly one-in-10 partnered adults met their partners online, merely this is far more common amid some groups

Partnered LGB adults are far more likely than their straight counterparts to have met their partner online A plurality of those who are married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship say they commencement met their spouse or partner through friends or family unit (32%). Smaller shares say they met through work (18%) or schoolhouse (17%), and nevertheless fewer met their partner online (12%).

While relatively small shares of partnered adults offset met their partner online, some groups are more probable to accept done and so. Well-nigh 1-in-five partnered adults ages 18 to 29 (21%) say they met their partner online, compared with 15% or fewer amidst their older counterparts. And LGB adults are far more likely to have first met their partner online than straight adults (28% vs. 11%).

Overall, 3-in-x adults say they have used an online dating site or app, and a majority (57%) of those users say their experiences with online dating were positive. Well-nigh too say it was piece of cake to discover people they were physically attracted to and who shared their hobbies and interests.

Online dating isn't the simply manner Americans are using the internet to help them navigate the dating scene. About four-in-ten adults (38%) say they have searched for data online about someone they were romantically interested in. This is especially common amid young adults: 64% of those younger than age 30 say they accept done this.

Half of single adults – and a bulk of single women – are not on the dating market

Half of singles are not looking for relationship or datesFully half of unmarried adults say they are not currently looking for a human relationship or dates. Among those who are on the dating market, nearly half are open to either a committed relationship or casual dates.

Single men are far more likely than single women to be looking for a human relationship or dates – 61% vs. 38%. This gender gap is especially apparent amidst older singles.

Among singles who are not looking to engagement, having more than of import priorities correct now and just enjoying the single life are among the virtually common reasons cited. Not-daters younger than age 50 are particularly likely to say they have more important priorities at the moment.

Defining who is partnered, who is single and who is a 'dater'