Most Single People Don't Want A Relationship

If you’re single this Valentine’s Day, you’re in good company. A Pew Research Center survey of more than 6-thousand U.S. adults finds that 30% of respondents are single - as in they’re not married, living with a partner, or in a committed relationship. That number is higher for the under 30 set, with 47% of them being single, and it’s lower, at 21% for Americans between 30 and 49 years old.

Among young men there are also more singles. For those 18 to 29 years of age, 63% of men consider themselves single, compared to 34% of women. In the 30 to 49 age group, it’s 25% of men and 17% of women who are single. And for those between 50 and 64, things flip, as 28% of men are single compared to 30% of women.

The poll also reveals these stats about single Americans:

• Around six in 10 men under 30 report being single, but that drops to 25% of men in the 30 to 49 age group and 28% for those between 50 and 64 years old. For women, 34% of those 18 to 29 are single, as are 17% of those in the 30 to 49 age group and 30% of those between 50 and 64.
• The majority of singles have no interest in being a target of Cupid’s arrow. The survey finds that 57% are “not currently looking for a relationship or casual dates,” 7% are looking for casual dates only, 22% are interested in “either a committed romantic relationship or casual dates,” while 13% want “a committed romantic relationship only.”
• Fewer singles are looking for romance than in previous years. In 2019, 49% of singles were looking for a relationship or casual dates, but that’s down to 42% now. For single men, the percentage drops from 61% in 2019 to 50% now and for single women, it was 38% in 2019 and it’s 35% now.
• The type of relationship singles want varies by gender. While 19% of single men are looking for “casual dates only,” only 15% of women say the same. But more single ladies are looking for “committed relationships,” 41% of women compared to 25% of men who said the same.
• Nearly half of single adults (45%) have turned to online dating in the past year.