What are the key millennial and Gen Z dating statistics in 2022?
Millennials and Gen Z are the youngest generations on the dating market. They’re generations that have grown up during uncertain times (the financial crises, worries about climate change, the pandemic, and wars, just to mention a few global events). And as the first digitally native generations, they date differently. Here’s how millennials and Generation Z date, including online dating statistics and more.
Want to learn more? Read on.
An overview of Millennial and Gen Z dating statistics
- 72% of millennials make a conscious decision to be single. They value freedom and independence.
- 75% of Gen Z are single.
- 44% of millennials are married.
- Millennials spend an average of two hours a day on dating apps.
- 74% of millennials and Gen Zers use dating apps.
- 90% of Gen Z say they are frustrated with dating apps.
- The most popular reason for ghosting is to avoid confrontation.
- 56% of women and men have been ghosted.
- 29% of millennials and Gen Z have married at the same age as 59% of older generations.
- 30% of millennials and Gen Z say that their financial situation is holding them back from dating.
- Gen Z is having less casual sex than previous generations. 24% of Gen Zers have sex on a casual basis.
- Attitudes to cheating and open relationships are more liberal than before. As many people (43%) want a monogamous relationship as a non-monogamous relationship.
Millennial dating statistics
How many millennials are till single? How many millennials are married? These millennial dating statistics show you how dating has changed. Here, you’ll learn the most important dating habits of millennial daters. Read on!
- Millennials value freedom and independence. That’s why 72% make a conscious decision to be single for a period of time. (Tinder)
- 44% of millennials are married. 53% of Gen X, 61% of Boomers, and 81% of Silents were married at a comparable age. (Pew Research)
- 81% say that being single benefits them beyond their romantic lives as they’re able to make new friends, have more time for personal wellness, and be more dedicated to their work. (Tinder)
- 77% of older millennials are looking for a serious relationship versus 75% of younger millennials who are looking for the same. (eHarmony)
- The most common first date activity is to grab a coffee (47.2%). (Bustle)
- Millennials have an average of eight sexual partners. (Archives of Sexual Behavior)
- 73% of millennials say they think people who speak another language are more attractive. 65% of Gen X and 52% of Boomers think the same. (OkCupid)
- 22% of millennial females and 16% of millennial males say they want to date someone with a college degree. (OkCupid)
- 43% of millennials say their ideal relationship is non-monogamous and 43% say it’s monogamous. (YouGov)
- Millennials are less likely than Gen X and Boomers to say they wouldn’t be ok with cheating under any circumstances. 56% of millennials agree in comparison to 69% of Gen X and 74% of Boomers. (YouGov)
- Millennials spend an average of $69 on the first dates. (The Balance)
- 60% of millennials want their partner to support Black Lives Matter versus 58% of all singles. 64% say the same about Stop Asian Hate versus 62% of all singles. (The Balance)
Gen Z dating statistics
Is dating harder for Gen Z? What percentage of Gen Z is single? In this section, you’ll learn all about Gen Z dating problems and behaviors. Learn more!
- 75% of Gen Z are single. (BBC)
- Gen Zers are having less casual sex than before. While 38% of young adults had casual sex in 2007, this number dropped to 24% in 2017. (Socius)
- The majority of Gen Z daters believe in splitting the costs of dating. (The Balance)
- 28% are willing to spend at least $100 on the first date. 1 out of 3 spends $250 or more per month on dating. (The Balance)
- Almost three-quarters (74%) of Gen Z daters say they wouldn’t match with someone who holds different views on green issues to them. (Refinery29)
- 73% say they wouldn’t match with someone who doesn’t have the same humor. (Refinery29)
- 71% say it’s a deal-breaker if a potential match has different political views than them. (Refinery29)
- 67% of Gen Z think it’s important that their partner supports the BLM movement. 58% of all singles believe the same. (Match)
- 68% of Gen Z think their partner should support the Stop Asian Hate movement. The same applies to 62% of all singles. (Match)
Millennial and Gen Z dating statistics
How do millennial and Gen Z dating behaviors compare? Here are the top statistics on how these generations date.
- The most popular reason to ghosting is to avoid confrontation (50% for women and 38% for men). (BankMyCell)
- 56% of men and women have been ghosted. (BankMyCell)
- Over 70% of young singles prefer a phone call before meeting up for the first date. (Match)
- Younger generations want their partners to share their values. 7 in 10 millennial and Gen Z OkCupid users say it’s important to match with people who care about the LGBTQ+ community. (OkCupid)
- Millennials and Gen Z are more likely than Gen X to cancel a date with someone who isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19. (OkCupid)
- Millennials are almost 20% more likely than Gen Z to ask a new match on a date within 1-2 days. (OkCupid)
- Gen Z are 18% more likely than millennials to wait for a match to ask them out. (OkCupid)
- 30% of millennials and Gen Z say that their financial situation is holding them back from dating. They feel that they need a certain level of financial security to settle down. (Match)
- Three-quarters of millennials and Gen Z think people who date should split the costs, at least sometimes. 38% of Gen Z think it should always be split, versus 28% of millennials. (The Balance)
- However, one in three says that the chances of accepting a second date increase if their date pays for the first one. (The Balance)
- 74% of millennials and Gen Z say that personality is the most important factor when choosing a partner. (The Balance)
- A third says that income and wealth are important. However, wealth was a less important factor when compared to other factors such as looks. (The Balance)
- Millennials care more about looks than Gen Z. They are also more likely to say that a job is important. (The Balance)
- Nearly half of wealthier millennials and Gen Z daters say they prioritize income and wealth as dating factors. (The Balance)
- Women in these age groups are less interested in looks compared to men (47% vs 70%). (The Balance)
- More than half of women say a job is important compared to less than half of men. (The Balance)
- 50% of young singles are open to a long-distance relationship. That’s 20% more than singles in general. (Match)
- More than half of Gen Z and Millennials believe you can fall in love over a video date. 34% of all singles believe the same. (Match)
Millennials and Gen Z and online dating
How do millennials and Gen Z approach dating apps? Here are the top statistics that show how these generations use dating apps.
- 83% of millennials spend up to two hours a day on dating apps. (Bustle)
- 90% of Gen Z are frustrated with dating apps. (Financial Times)
- Smoking or drugs is the most common reason millennials swipe left. (Bustle)
- 50% of Tinder users are part of Generation Z. (Tinder)
- 40% of Gen Z Tinder users say they will continue to go on digital dates after the pandemic. (Tinder)
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, 40% of Gen Z daters came to Tinder to get out of their echo chamber and meet new and interesting people. (Tinder)
- More than 74% of millennials and Gen Z use online dating apps. (The Balance)
- 50% use them at least weekly and a third pay for at least one app. (The Balance)
Millennial and Gen Z marriage statistics
How do millennials and Generation Z approach marriage? Here’s what you need to know about millennial and Gen Z marriage statistics.
- 16% of engaged Gen Z couples meet online. 26% of millennials say the same, making it the most popular avenue for this generation. (The Knot)
- For Gen Z, the most popular way to meet their fiancé was in college or grad school with one in four meeting this way. (The Knot)
- 17% of engaged Gen Z couples met in high school versus 6% of millennial couples. (The Knot)
- 18% of millennials and 14% of Gen Zers met through mutual friends. (The Knot)
- 14% of millennials and 11% of Gen Zers met at work. (The Knot)
- 11% of millennials and 6% of Gen Zers met at bars, concerts, and parties. (The Knot)
- Only 29% of millennials and Gen Zers were married in 2018 versus 59% of 18-to-34-year-olds in 1978. (Census Bureau)
- What percentage of millennials Gen Z wants to get married? 80% of them have spent some time imagining their wedding day. Most expect to be married within two to five years. (The Knot)
- Two-thirds of millennials hope to marry someday. A quarter says they haven’t found a person with the right qualities yet. (Pew Research)
- Three in ten millennials live with a spouse and a child. That’s compared to 40% of Gen Xers at the same age. (Pew Research)
- The share of millennials who live with a spouse and no child is comparable to previous generations (13%), as is living with a child and no spouse (12%). (Pew Research)
- The average millennial woman gets married at 28 and man at 30. This is three years later for men and women than in 2003, four years later than in 1987 and seven years later than in 1968. (Pew Research)
- 12% of millennials were living with an unmarried partner in 2019. That’s higher than Gen X (8%) at the same age. (Pew Research)
- 13% of millennials are married to a spouse with a different racial or ethnic background versus 9% of Gen X at the same age. (Pew Research)
- Millennials choose partners who have the same educational credentials as them. 75% are married to another college graduate (versus 68% of Gen Xers, 63% of Boomers, and 52% of Silents at the same age). (Pew Research)
- Millennials get divorced 24% less than people did in 1981. (Socius)
- Gen Z believes the average age they’ll get married will be 27. (Available data, as mentioned above, indicates that they won’t.) (The Knot)
- Millennials think they will be married by the age of 32. (The Knot)
Over to you!
There you have it! Now you know what the 66 key millennial and Gen Z dating statistics are.
I’d love to know:
Were you surprised by any of these statistics?
Let me know in the comments below.
15 Responses
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