by Alan J. Hawkins, Brian J. Willoughby (@drbrian_relate), Jason S. Carroll (@DrJasonCarroll) and Brad Wilcox (@BradWilcoxIFS)
Young adults today are living in a depressed dating economy. That is our conclusion after analyzing findings from the 2025 National Dating Landscape Survey, a nationally representative sample of 5,275 unmarried young adults in their prime dating years (ages 22–35) in the United States. Our analyses focused mostly on the dating experiences of those single young adults who expect to marry someday, or 86% of our sample. Our findings are detailed in the 2026 State of Our Unions report released today by the Institute for Family Studies and The Wheatley Institute. So, what did we learn?
Only About 1-in-3 Young Adults Report Actively Dating, Either Casually or Exclusively
