Single and not Dating? Not Interested? It's Common!
Earlier today I blogged about my worst date ever. You may have noted my remark in there that I "barely even attempted to date" in high school and college. I debated whether to elaborate on that point. I decided my why was probably too peculiar/too hard to explain and thus would distract too much from the narrative. What an odd coincidence, then, that just a hour after clicking "Post" I came across an article in my newsfeed that nails my reasons for not dating.
"Half of Singles Don’t Want a Relationship or Even a Date" in Psychology Today (21 Aug 2020) reports on a study from the Pew Research Center that found a significant percentage of single adults are not even interested in dating.
Uninterested in romantic relationships or dating
Figures as reported in Psychology Today from Pew Research Center study
That was my situation: I wasn't interested in dating. Well, I was interested; just not enough enough to pursue it. I interpret that as included in "uninterested".
All these years I felt like I was weird for being young and single and not that interested in dating... now I see that, today at least, I'd have been in good company with nearly 40% of young, single people.
Even more eye-popping than the nearly 40% of my age group today who are in the same category was my #1 reason for why I was (mostly) uninterested. Simply put, I didn't make much attempt to date in high school and college because it just didn't see worth my time. I had better things to do. ...Okay, that sounds weird and peculiar right?
Let's see what the survey says....
Have more important priorities
🔔 Number one answer!
Yes, my #1 reason was the overall #1 reason. Well over half of single adults 18-49 today who aren't dating give as their main reason, I've got better stuff to do with my time.
BTW, the Pew study goes into a lot of more areas than reported on by the PT article. If you find the PT article or this blog interesting you should definitely read the full study, "Nearly Half of U.S. Adults Say Dating Has Gotten Harder for Most People in the Last 10 Years" (Pew Research Center, 20 Aug 2020).
The Pew document defines its terminology and explains its methods. Yay, keeping the science in social science! Among other things: 1) "Single" means not only not married but also not in a committed long-term relationship. I'm glad to see this tracks with modern concepts instead of clinging to increasingly outdated traditional norms. And 2) The surveys were performed in 2019, so the data are not skewed by the huge impact the Coronavirus pandemic has had on dating.
"Half of Singles Don’t Want a Relationship or Even a Date" in Psychology Today (21 Aug 2020) reports on a study from the Pew Research Center that found a significant percentage of single adults are not even interested in dating.
Uninterested in romantic relationships or dating
- 37 percent - ages 18-29
- 39 percent - ages 30-49
- 50 percent - ages 50-64
- 75 percent - ages 65+
Figures as reported in Psychology Today from Pew Research Center study
That was my situation: I wasn't interested in dating. Well, I was interested; just not enough enough to pursue it. I interpret that as included in "uninterested".
All these years I felt like I was weird for being young and single and not that interested in dating... now I see that, today at least, I'd have been in good company with nearly 40% of young, single people.
Even more eye-popping than the nearly 40% of my age group today who are in the same category was my #1 reason for why I was (mostly) uninterested. Simply put, I didn't make much attempt to date in high school and college because it just didn't see worth my time. I had better things to do. ...Okay, that sounds weird and peculiar right?
Let's see what the survey says....
Have more important priorities
- 61 percent - ages 18-49
- 38 percent - ages 50+
🔔 Number one answer!
Yes, my #1 reason was the overall #1 reason. Well over half of single adults 18-49 today who aren't dating give as their main reason, I've got better stuff to do with my time.
BTW, the Pew study goes into a lot of more areas than reported on by the PT article. If you find the PT article or this blog interesting you should definitely read the full study, "Nearly Half of U.S. Adults Say Dating Has Gotten Harder for Most People in the Last 10 Years" (Pew Research Center, 20 Aug 2020).
The Pew document defines its terminology and explains its methods. Yay, keeping the science in social science! Among other things: 1) "Single" means not only not married but also not in a committed long-term relationship. I'm glad to see this tracks with modern concepts instead of clinging to increasingly outdated traditional norms. And 2) The surveys were performed in 2019, so the data are not skewed by the huge impact the Coronavirus pandemic has had on dating.