Work

Is Everyone “Looking for Love?” Trends in Romantic Relationship Interest Among Singles During COVID-19

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Using data from the Dynamics of Social Life During COVID-19 Survey (DSL-COVID), we examine dating and romantic relationship interest among singles amid a global pandemic and loneliness epidemic. This study provides a gendered life course perspective to understanding the heterogeneity of singles’ low romantic interest. We find larger gender differences among the previously married than never married singles. In addition, we document a stronger age gradient for single women than men in low romantic interest. We demonstrate that previously married single men’s romantic interest may be more responsive to loneliness than that of single women. These results suggest that lonely single men express the strongest desires to seek romance, net of controls, while single women express lower romantic interest. Overall, we argue for the possibility that a non-trivial segment of singles may exhibit low romantic interest, and their inclusion is important for social science research on union and family formation.

Source: Journal of Family Issues

DOI: 10.1177/0192513x241257232

Authors: Hannah Tessler, Meera Choi, Grace Kao

Institution: Yale University

Language: English

Topic: Family Dynamics and Relationships

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Korean Studies Promotion Service, Ministry of Education, Academy of Korean Studies

Awards: G1057919293, G4774665859, G5194577128