The idea that one's the loneliest number may have come and gone with Three Dog Night.
More than ever before, we're seeing adults go at life... alone.
Over the past decade, research suggests that every age demographic, except for adults over 65, has experienced fewer committed relationships. The Pew Research Center has kept up with this topic overtime and here's the latest:
Here's what it looked like in 2007 (percentage of single adults):
- Under 35: 56 percent single
- 35-54: 29 percent single
- 55-64: 29 percent single
- 65+: 43 percent single
And where we stand today:
- Under 35: 61 percent single (+5 percent)
- 35-54: 30 percent single (+1 percent)
- 55-64: 32 percent single (+3 percent)
- 65+: 41 percent single (-2 percent)
Across all ages 39 percent of adults were single 10 years ago and, 42 percent are today.
And if you think it has to do with more divorces, that's not actually the case. The peak divorce rate actually occurred in 1980 and has slowly declined since (hitting a 30 year low in 2015).
While it doesn't explain everything that's going on with an increase in adult singles, it appears as though the most common reason for record percentages of single adults has to do with waiting longer to find someone to commit to in the first place.
That would explain the increase in singles across all younger demographics, the lower divorce rates and the decline with older demographics.