A third of under-30s say they’ve never been in a relationship, according to a recent YouGov survey.
So, what is a “relationship recession”?
It’s a term being used to describe the apparent decline in romantic relationships among younger people. Recent research found that around a third of 18-29-year-olds in Britain have never been in a relationship, while a growing number of people are also reaching their twenties without having had much experience of dating. It doesn’t necessarily mean people have stopped wanting relationships – just that getting into one may be happening later, less often or in different ways.
Why might this be happening?
There isn’t one neat explanation. New Scientist points to a mixture of factors, from changing attitudes towards relationships (the Bridget Jones psychology has been left in the 00s!) to the way young people socialise. Dating apps have made meeting people easier in some ways, but they can also make dating feel more complicated. Add in busy working lives, the cost of going out, changing expectations around relationships and the fact that people are generally marrying and settling down later.
““Gen Z is the first generation that grew up with social media and smartphones, and this is visible in how they approach interactions.”
How are people actually meeting?
We all expect dating apps to dominate the conversation, but they’re not the only route being taken. 18% of UK couples meet through mutual friends, while the workplace remains the most common way couples meet. At the same time, a Pew Research Centre study found that 49% of teenagers had no friends of the opposite sex, suggesting that some of the informal opportunities to meet people may be changing too.
OK, does this mean people don’t want relationships anymore?
Not necessarily. The YouGov research suggests the picture is more complicated than simply “young people aren’t dating”. Some people are actively looking for a relationship, while others are perfectly happy being single. And there’s a difference between not having been in a relationship yet and not wanting one at all. As The Times notes, whilst for some it's about simply taking a different route to a relationship, many are finding freedom and self-discovery in remaining single. In fact, according to the survey, the second most common reason for Brits staying single is that they prefer it.