- Researchers say that today’s teens are more likely to enjoy their single lifestyles
- Teenagers are less likely to be in relationships than those born ten years earlier
There’s nothing quite like being a teenager and falling head-over-heels in love for the first time.
But today’s youngsters are more likely to be single – and not be bothered about it – than previous generations, according to a study.
New research suggests that people aged 14 to 20 are more satisfied with being single than their counterparts 10 years ago.
Scientists from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz collected data on 2,936 participants from different birth cohorts in Germany.
The material related to two separate time periods – 2008 to 2011, and 2018 to 2021 – and participants were asked questions regarding their relationship status and satisfaction levels.
Researchers have discovered that adolescents today are more likely to be single than teenagers ten years ago (stock image)
Analysis revealed those born between 2001 and 2003 were 3 per cent more likely to be single and were more satisfied with singlehood than those born 10 years earlier.
Meanwhile, there didn’t appear to be any significant differences between older age groups from different cohorts.
The findings could go some way to explaining why, across the world, marriage rates have been declining over past decades while divorce rates and proportions of single-person households have been on the rise.
Lead author Dr Tita Gonzalez Avilés said: ‘It seems that today’s adolescents are less inclined to pursue a romantic relationship.
‘It is notable that, particularly in Western industrialized countries, singlehood is no longer unconventional and now considered more socially acceptable than in the past.
‘This could well be the reason for the increased singlehood satisfaction.’
The researchers found that today’s adolescents are less likely to pursue romantic relationship or marriage and less likely to be bothered about being single due to changing relationship norms (stock image)
The researchers also note attitudes towards romantic conventions have changed over time.
Younger people are more open to ‘diverse relationship types’ which diverge from conventional ideas of the two-partner monogamous relationship, which could include polyamory, one-night stands and ‘friends with benefits’.
‘We assume that adolescents nowadays may postpone entering into a stable relationship because they value their personal autonomy and individual fulfilment over a romantic partnership,’ said Gonzalez Avilés.
Although the difference in satisfaction between today and 10 years ago is not very large, the researchers said it stands out from typical historical developments.
Writing in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, they suggest this may be due to the fact that living as a single person has become increasingly normative over time, especially among the younger generation.
‘People nowadays put emphasis on individualism and personal autonomy, and have become more accepting of diverse relationship dynamics including prolonged singlehood,’ they said.
‘We found adolescents born in 2001 to 2003 show a 3 per cent greater chance of being single compared to adolescents born 10 years earlier.
‘[This group] also reported a reduced desire for a romantic partner.
‘This historical change, however, was not observed among emerging and established adults, pointing to adolescence being a particularly sensitive age period.’
Earlier this year, new research suggested that being single might not be so bad, as experts described the idea of wedded bliss as ‘largely a myth’ with ‘hardly any evidence’ that tying the knot leads to a better life.
Scientists reviewed dozens of previous studies to examine the differences in suicide, depression, loneliness, physical health and happiness between people who are married and those who never said ‘I do’.
They discovered that people who stay single typically have ‘very similar outcomes’ to those who are married, with ‘little evidence’ that getting married results in lastingly improved health or wellbeing.
