[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":1061},["ShallowReactive",2],{"research-situationship-statistics":3},{"_path":4,"_dir":5,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":8,"description":9,"summary":10,"pageType":5,"datePublished":11,"dateModified":11,"lastReviewed":11,"nextReviewDue":12,"canonical":13,"readTime":14,"keyFindings":15,"sources":23,"faq":59,"relatedPosts":75,"body":88,"_type":1055,"_id":1056,"_source":1057,"_file":1058,"_stem":1059,"_extension":1060},"\u002Fresearch\u002Fsituationship-statistics","research",false,"","Situationship Statistics 2026: How Common Are Undefined Relationships?","39% of US adults have been in a situationship — 50% of those under 35. Verified statistics on undefined relationships, dating burnout, and why nobody is defining the relationship.","39% of US adults — and 50% of those aged 18 to 34 — have been in a situationship. 'Situationship' mentions in Tinder profiles grew 49% in 2022, 86% of 18-to-24-year-olds are unpartnered, and 47% of singles report dating burnout. These are the verified numbers behind undefined relationships.","2026-06-12","2026-09-10","https:\u002F\u002Fhilainie.com\u002Fresearch\u002Fsituationship-statistics\u002F",9,[16,17,18,19,20,21,22],"39% of US adults have been in a situationship; among 18-to-34-year-olds it's 50% (YouGov, 2024)","Mentions of 'situationship' in Tinder profiles grew 49% in 2022 (Tinder Year in Swipe)","86% of US adults aged 18 to 24 are unpartnered (Pew Research Center, 2023 data)","47% of US singles say dating makes them feel burned out (Match Singles in America, 2025)","55% of situationships start in person — only 7% start on dating apps (YouGov, 2024)","42.9% of women and 29% of men ideally wanted a hookup to become a traditional relationship, but fewer than 1 in 10 expected it to (Garcia & Reiber, via APA)","50% of single Americans say they aren't looking for a relationship or dates at all (Pew Research Center, 2020)",[24,28,32,36,40,43,47,51,55],{"title":25,"url":26,"author":27},"Half of 18- to 34-year-old Americans have been in a situationship","https:\u002F\u002Fyougov.com\u002Fen-us\u002Farticles\u002F48492-half-of-18-to-34-aged-americans-have-been-in-a-situationship","YouGov",{"title":29,"url":30,"author":31},"Tinder's Year in Swipe 2022","https:\u002F\u002Fau.tinderpressroom.com\u002FTinders-Year-In-Swipe-2022","Tinder Newsroom",{"title":33,"url":34,"author":35},"A profile of single Americans","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pewresearch.org\u002Fsocial-trends\u002F2020\u002F08\u002F20\u002Fa-profile-of-single-americans\u002F","Anna Brown, Pew Research Center",{"title":37,"url":38,"author":39},"Share of US adults living without a romantic partner has ticked down in recent years","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pewresearch.org\u002Fshort-reads\u002F2025\u002F01\u002F08\u002Fshare-of-us-adults-living-without-a-romantic-partner-has-ticked-down-in-recent-years\u002F","Pew Research Center",{"title":41,"url":42,"author":39},"For Valentine's Day, facts about marriage and dating in the US","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pewresearch.org\u002Fshort-reads\u002F2024\u002F02\u002F08\u002Ffor-valentines-day-facts-about-marriage-and-dating-in-the-us\u002F",{"title":44,"url":45,"author":46},"Match and The Kinsey Institute Unveil 14th Annual Singles in America Study","https:\u002F\u002Fmatch.mediaroom.com\u002F2025-06-10-Match-and-The-Kinsey-Institute-Unveil-14th-Annual-Singles-in-America-Study","Match Group & The Kinsey Institute",{"title":48,"url":49,"author":50},"Sexual hook-up culture","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.apa.org\u002Fmonitor\u002F2013\u002F02\u002Fce-corner","Justin R. Garcia et al., American Psychological Association",{"title":52,"url":53,"author":54},"Situationship: What It Is and 5 Signs You're in One","https:\u002F\u002Fhealth.clevelandclinic.org\u002Fwhat-is-a-situationship","Cleveland Clinic (Susan Albers, PsyD)",{"title":56,"url":57,"author":58},"Hinge's D.A.T.E. Report: How Gen Z Daters Can Close the Communication Gap","https:\u002F\u002Fhinge.co\u002Fnewsroom\u002F2025-GenZ-Report","Hinge Newsroom",[60,63,66,69,72],{"q":61,"a":62},"How common are situationships?","Very. A January 2024 YouGov survey of 1,110 US adults found 39% of Americans have been in a situationship — a romantic connection that's neither platonic nor an official relationship. Among adults aged 18 to 34, it's 50%. Tinder also reported a 49% jump in members adding 'situationship' to their profiles in 2022.",{"q":64,"a":65},"Who is most likely to be in a situationship?","Young adults. Half of 18-to-34-year-olds report having been in one (YouGov, 2024), and the structural conditions point the same way: Pew Research Center data shows 86% of US adults aged 18 to 24 are unpartnered — neither married nor living with a partner — which makes this the demographic with the most room for undefined arrangements.",{"q":67,"a":68},"Are situationships becoming more common?","The label is, and the behavior appears to be too. Tinder measured a 49% increase in 'situationship' profile mentions in 2022 and found more than 1 in 10 young singles actively prefer them as a lower-pressure path to a relationship. The arrangement itself — sexual or romantic involvement without commitment — is older: APA-reviewed research found 60% to 80% of North American college students have had a hookup experience.",{"q":70,"a":71},"Do situationships usually turn into real relationships?","There's no reliable conversion statistic, and anyone quoting one is guessing. What the research does show is a desire gap: in hookup research reviewed by the APA, 42.9% of women and 29% of men ideally wanted the encounter to become a traditional relationship — but only 8.2% of women and 4.4% of men expected it to. A lot of people in undefined arrangements are quietly hoping for definition.",{"q":73,"a":74},"Why do situationships cause so much anxiety?","Cleveland Clinic psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD, puts it plainly: brains like clarity and gravitate to black and white, so the gray area of an undefined relationship is hard to process and can create anxiety. Add attachment hormones like oxytocin — which build whether or not you've agreed to be attached — and you get real bonding with no agreed-upon meaning.",[76,79,82,85],{"title":77,"href":78},"Situationship vs. Relationship","\u002Fblog\u002Fdating\u002Fsituationship-vs-relationship\u002F",{"title":80,"href":81},"What Is the Talking Stage?","\u002Fblog\u002Fdating\u002Fwhat-is-the-talking-stage\u002F",{"title":83,"href":84},"How to Get Over a Breakup","\u002Fblog\u002Frelationships\u002Fhow-to-get-over-a-breakup\u002F",{"title":86,"href":87},"Relationship Red Flags Checker","\u002Ftools\u002Frelationship-red-flags-checker\u002F",{"type":89,"children":90,"toc":1043},"root",[91,108,115,420,426,445,466,493,499,518,558,571,577,604,627,646,665,671,701,733,739,758,776,787,829,835,855,875,917,923,928,1019,1024,1030,1038],{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":94,"children":95},"element","p",{},[96,99,106],{"type":97,"value":98},"text","A ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":101,"children":103},"a",{"href":102},"\u002Fblog\u002Fglossary\u002Fsituationship\u002F",[104],{"type":97,"value":105},"situationship",{"type":97,"value":107}," is a romantic or sexual connection that never gets defined — more than friends, less than official, no labels, no agreed commitment. This page collects every statistic about undefined relationships we could verify against a primary source, last checked June 2026.",{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":110,"children":112},"h2",{"id":111},"key-statistics",[113],{"type":97,"value":114},"Key Statistics",{"type":92,"tag":116,"props":117,"children":118},"ol",{},[119,140,160,179,206,229,247,264,280,305,322,338,357,387,404],{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":121,"children":122},"li",{},[123,129,131,138],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":125,"children":126},"strong",{},[127],{"type":97,"value":128},"39%",{"type":97,"value":130}," of US adults say they have been in a situationship, according to a ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":132,"children":135},{"href":26,"rel":133},[134],"nofollow",[136],{"type":97,"value":137},"January 2024 YouGov survey",{"type":97,"value":139}," of 1,110 Americans.",{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":141,"children":142},{},[143,145,150,152,158],{"type":97,"value":144},"Among adults aged 18 to 34, that figure rises to ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":146,"children":147},{},[148],{"type":97,"value":149},"50%",{"type":97,"value":151}," (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":153,"children":155},{"href":26,"rel":154},[134],[156],{"type":97,"value":157},"YouGov, 2024",{"type":97,"value":159},").",{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":161,"children":162},{},[163,165,170,172,178],{"type":97,"value":164},"Mentions of \"situationship\" in Tinder member profiles grew ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":166,"children":167},{},[168],{"type":97,"value":169},"49%",{"type":97,"value":171}," in 2022, making it the app's defining trend of the year (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":173,"children":175},{"href":30,"rel":174},[134],[176],{"type":97,"value":177},"Tinder Year in Swipe 2022",{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":180,"children":181},{},[182,184,189,191,197,199,205],{"type":97,"value":183},"More than ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":185,"children":186},{},[187],{"type":97,"value":188},"1 in 10",{"type":97,"value":190}," young singles told Tinder they ",{"type":92,"tag":192,"props":193,"children":194},"em",{},[195],{"type":97,"value":196},"prefer",{"type":97,"value":198}," situationships as a way to develop a relationship with less pressure (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":200,"children":202},{"href":30,"rel":201},[134],[203],{"type":97,"value":204},"Tinder, 2022",{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":207,"children":208},{},[209,214,216,221,223,228],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":210,"children":211},{},[212],{"type":97,"value":213},"55%",{"type":97,"value":215}," of situationships begin in person — only ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":217,"children":218},{},[219],{"type":97,"value":220},"7%",{"type":97,"value":222}," start on dating apps (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":224,"children":226},{"href":26,"rel":225},[134],[227],{"type":97,"value":157},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":230,"children":231},{},[232,234,239,241,246],{"type":97,"value":233},"Among 18-to-34-year-olds, ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":235,"children":236},{},[237],{"type":97,"value":238},"29%",{"type":97,"value":240}," say their situationship started on social media (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":242,"children":244},{"href":26,"rel":243},[134],[245],{"type":97,"value":157},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":248,"children":249},{},[250,255,257,263],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":251,"children":252},{},[253],{"type":97,"value":254},"86%",{"type":97,"value":256}," of US adults aged 18 to 24 are unpartnered — neither married nor living with a romantic partner (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":258,"children":260},{"href":38,"rel":259},[134],[261],{"type":97,"value":262},"Pew Research Center, 2025",{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":265,"children":266},{},[267,271,273,279],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":268,"children":269},{},[270],{"type":97,"value":149},{"type":97,"value":272}," of single Americans say they are not looking for a relationship or even casual dates (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":274,"children":276},{"href":34,"rel":275},[134],[277],{"type":97,"value":278},"Pew Research Center, 2020",{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":281,"children":282},{},[283,285,290,292,297,299,304],{"type":97,"value":284},"Only ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":286,"children":287},{},[288],{"type":97,"value":289},"14%",{"type":97,"value":291}," of singles want a committed relationship and nothing else; ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":293,"children":294},{},[295],{"type":97,"value":296},"26%",{"type":97,"value":298}," are open to either commitment or casual dates (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":300,"children":302},{"href":34,"rel":301},[134],[303],{"type":97,"value":278},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":306,"children":307},{},[308,313,315,321],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":309,"children":310},{},[311],{"type":97,"value":312},"47%",{"type":97,"value":314}," of US singles say dating makes them feel burned out (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":316,"children":318},{"href":45,"rel":317},[134],[319],{"type":97,"value":320},"Match Singles in America, 2025",{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":323,"children":324},{},[325,330,332,337],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":326,"children":327},{},[328],{"type":97,"value":329},"46%",{"type":97,"value":331}," of singles have taken deliberate breaks from dating (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":333,"children":335},{"href":45,"rel":334},[134],[336],{"type":97,"value":320},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":339,"children":340},{},[341,343,348,350,356],{"type":97,"value":342},"Between ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":344,"children":345},{},[346],{"type":97,"value":347},"60% and 80%",{"type":97,"value":349}," of North American college students have had some kind of hookup experience (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":351,"children":353},{"href":49,"rel":352},[134],[354],{"type":97,"value":355},"American Psychological Association",{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":358,"children":359},{},[360,365,367,371,373,378,380,386],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":361,"children":362},{},[363],{"type":97,"value":364},"42.9%",{"type":97,"value":366}," of women and ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":368,"children":369},{},[370],{"type":97,"value":238},{"type":97,"value":372}," of men ideally wanted their hookup to become a traditional romantic relationship — though only 8.2% of women and 4.4% of men ",{"type":92,"tag":192,"props":374,"children":375},{},[376],{"type":97,"value":377},"expected",{"type":97,"value":379}," it to (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":381,"children":383},{"href":49,"rel":382},[134],[384],{"type":97,"value":385},"Garcia & Reiber, via APA",{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":388,"children":389},{},[390,395,397,403],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":391,"children":392},{},[393],{"type":97,"value":394},"84%",{"type":97,"value":396}," of Gen Z Hinge daters say they want new ways to build deeper connections (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":398,"children":400},{"href":57,"rel":399},[134],[401],{"type":97,"value":402},"Hinge D.A.T.E. Report, 2025",{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":405,"children":406},{},[407,412,414,419],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":408,"children":409},{},[410],{"type":97,"value":411},"63%",{"type":97,"value":413}," of adults aged 18 to 34 say they would recommend dating apps that cater to situationship-seekers (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":415,"children":417},{"href":26,"rel":416},[134],[418],{"type":97,"value":157},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":421,"children":423},{"id":422},"how-common-are-situationships",[424],{"type":97,"value":425},"How Common Are Situationships?",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":427,"children":428},{},[429,431,437,439,443],{"type":97,"value":430},"The cleanest prevalence number comes from ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":432,"children":434},{"href":26,"rel":433},[134],[435],{"type":97,"value":436},"YouGov's January 2024 survey",{"type":97,"value":438}," of 1,110 US adults: ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":440,"children":441},{},[442],{"type":97,"value":128},{"type":97,"value":444}," of Americans have been in a situationship, defined as \"a romantic connection that exists in a gray area, neither strictly platonic nor officially a committed relationship.\" That's two in five adults across all ages — including generations who dated before the word existed.",{"type":92,"tag":446,"props":447,"children":448},"blockquote",{},[449],{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":450,"children":451},{},[452,454,458,460,465],{"type":97,"value":453},"Half of all Americans aged 18 to 34 — ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":455,"children":456},{},[457],{"type":97,"value":149},{"type":97,"value":459}," — have been in a situationship (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":461,"children":463},{"href":26,"rel":462},[134],[464],{"type":97,"value":157},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":467,"children":468},{},[469,471,477,479,483,485,491],{"type":97,"value":470},"The label's rise is just as measurable as the behavior. Tinder's ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":472,"children":474},{"href":30,"rel":473},[134],[475],{"type":97,"value":476},"Year in Swipe 2022",{"type":97,"value":478}," recorded a ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":480,"children":481},{},[482],{"type":97,"value":169},{"type":97,"value":484}," increase in members adding \"situationship\" to their profiles, and named it the trend of the year. That's worth sitting with: people weren't confessing to situationships — they were advertising them. ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":486,"children":488},{"href":53,"rel":487},[134],[489],{"type":97,"value":490},"Cleveland Clinic",{"type":97,"value":492}," now publishes clinical guidance on the term, with psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD, defining it by what's missing: no labels, no exclusivity agreement, no integration into each other's lives, no conversation about where it's going.",{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":494,"children":496},{"id":495},"why-are-undefined-relationships-so-common-right-now",[497],{"type":97,"value":498},"Why Are Undefined Relationships So Common Right Now?",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":500,"children":501},{},[502,504,510,512,516],{"type":97,"value":503},"Because the population most likely to be in them has never been less partnered. ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":505,"children":507},{"href":38,"rel":506},[134],[508],{"type":97,"value":509},"Pew Research Center's 2025 analysis",{"type":97,"value":511}," of 2023 data found ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":513,"children":514},{},[515],{"type":97,"value":254},{"type":97,"value":517}," of US adults aged 18 to 24 are unpartnered — neither married nor cohabiting — compared with 42% of 25-to-39-year-olds. The years when situationships peak are precisely the years when almost nobody has formalized anything.",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":519,"children":520},{},[521,523,529,531,535,537,542,544,550,551,556],{"type":97,"value":522},"Intent data points the same direction. In ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":524,"children":526},{"href":34,"rel":525},[134],[527],{"type":97,"value":528},"Pew's profile of single Americans",{"type":97,"value":530},", ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":532,"children":533},{},[534],{"type":97,"value":149},{"type":97,"value":536}," of singles said they weren't looking for a relationship ",{"type":92,"tag":192,"props":538,"children":539},{},[540],{"type":97,"value":541},"or",{"type":97,"value":543}," casual dates, and only 14% wanted commitment exclusively — the remaining demand was split between casual-only (10%) and \"open to either\" (26%). When the single largest group of daters is flexible about what they want, undefined arrangements are the path of least resistance. And ambivalence isn't misery: in ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":545,"children":547},{"href":42,"rel":546},[134],[548],{"type":97,"value":549},"Pew's 2024 round-up",{"type":97,"value":530},{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":552,"children":553},{},[554],{"type":97,"value":555},"72%",{"type":97,"value":557}," of non-daters cited simply enjoying being single as a reason they're not looking.",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":559,"children":560},{},[561,563,569],{"type":97,"value":562},"The pattern this creates is familiar if you've lived it: two people who are \"not looking for anything serious,\" texting daily for eight months, neither willing to start the ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":564,"children":566},{"href":565},"\u002Fblog\u002Fglossary\u002Fdtr\u002F",[567],{"type":97,"value":568},"define-the-relationship conversation",{"type":97,"value":570}," because the current setup technically matches what both claimed to want.",{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":572,"children":574},{"id":573},"do-people-in-situationships-secretly-want-commitment",[575],{"type":97,"value":576},"Do People in Situationships Secretly Want Commitment?",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":578,"children":579},{},[580,582,588,590,595,597,602],{"type":97,"value":581},"A meaningful share do — and the gap between wanting and saying so is one of the best-documented findings in casual-relationship research. The ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":583,"children":585},{"href":49,"rel":584},[134],[586],{"type":97,"value":587},"APA's review of hookup culture",{"type":97,"value":589}," reports that ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":591,"children":592},{},[593],{"type":97,"value":594},"60% to 80%",{"type":97,"value":596}," of North American college students have had a hookup experience. But when Garcia and Reiber asked what people ",{"type":92,"tag":192,"props":598,"children":599},{},[600],{"type":97,"value":601},"ideally wanted",{"type":97,"value":603}," from those encounters, the script flipped.",{"type":92,"tag":446,"props":605,"children":606},{},[607],{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":608,"children":609},{},[610,614,615,619,621,626],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":611,"children":612},{},[613],{"type":97,"value":364},{"type":97,"value":366},{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":616,"children":617},{},[618],{"type":97,"value":238},{"type":97,"value":620}," of men ideally wanted their hookup to become a traditional romantic relationship — yet only 8.2% of women and 4.4% of men expected it to (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":622,"children":624},{"href":49,"rel":623},[134],[625],{"type":97,"value":385},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":628,"children":629},{},[630,632,636,638,644],{"type":97,"value":631},"That's the situationship engine in one statistic: large numbers of people performing detachment they don't feel, because admitting they want more risks losing what they have. Current app data says the hunger for depth hasn't gone anywhere — ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":633,"children":634},{},[635],{"type":97,"value":394},{"type":97,"value":637}," of Gen Z Hinge daters say they want new ways to build deeper connections, while the same ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":639,"children":641},{"href":57,"rel":640},[134],[642],{"type":97,"value":643},"Hinge D.A.T.E. Report",{"type":97,"value":645}," found Gen Z daters are 36% more hesitant than millennials to start a deep conversation on a first date. Wanting more, saying less.",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":647,"children":648},{},[649,651,655,657,663],{"type":97,"value":650},"To be fair to the format: Tinder found more than ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":652,"children":653},{},[654],{"type":97,"value":188},{"type":97,"value":656}," young singles ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":658,"children":660},{"href":30,"rel":659},[134],[661],{"type":97,"value":662},"genuinely prefer situationships",{"type":97,"value":664}," as a lower-pressure way to develop a relationship. For some people the gray area is the point. The problem is statistical: if one in ten prefers ambiguity and four in ten secretly want definition, most undefined pairs contain at least one person quietly waiting.",{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":666,"children":668},{"id":667},"are-dating-apps-actually-causing-situationships",[669],{"type":97,"value":670},"Are Dating Apps Actually Causing Situationships?",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":672,"children":673},{},[674,676,681,683,687,689,693,695,699],{"type":97,"value":675},"Less than you'd think. The most counterintuitive verified finding in this dataset comes from ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":677,"children":679},{"href":26,"rel":678},[134],[680],{"type":97,"value":27},{"type":97,"value":682},": ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":684,"children":685},{},[686],{"type":97,"value":213},{"type":97,"value":688}," of situationships began in person, and only ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":690,"children":691},{},[692],{"type":97,"value":220},{"type":97,"value":694}," started on dating apps. Among 18-to-34-year-olds, social media was the bigger culprit — ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":696,"children":697},{},[698],{"type":97,"value":238},{"type":97,"value":700}," of their situationships started there. The friend-of-a-friend you DM after a party is statistically more likely to become your situationship than anyone you swiped on.",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":702,"children":703},{},[704,706,712,713,718,720,724,726,731],{"type":97,"value":705},"Apps still shape the water everyone swims in. Per ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":707,"children":709},{"href":42,"rel":708},[134],[710],{"type":97,"value":711},"Pew",{"type":97,"value":530},{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":714,"children":715},{},[716],{"type":97,"value":717},"53%",{"type":97,"value":719}," of adults under 30 have used a dating site or app, and 20% of partnered adults under 30 met their current partner that way. And daters seem to want the gray zone formalized rather than eliminated: ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":721,"children":722},{},[723],{"type":97,"value":411},{"type":97,"value":725}," of 18-to-34-year-olds told ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":727,"children":729},{"href":26,"rel":728},[134],[730],{"type":97,"value":27},{"type":97,"value":732}," they'd recommend dating apps that cater to situationship-seekers. The market is asking for honest ambiguity — labeled gray areas instead of unlabeled ones.",{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":734,"children":736},{"id":735},"what-does-staying-undefined-cost",[737],{"type":97,"value":738},"What Does Staying Undefined Cost?",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":740,"children":741},{},[742,744,750,752,756],{"type":97,"value":743},"The ambiguity isn't free, and the burnout numbers suggest the bill is coming due. The ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":745,"children":747},{"href":45,"rel":746},[134],[748],{"type":97,"value":749},"14th annual Singles in America study",{"type":97,"value":751}," from Match and The Kinsey Institute — 5,001 US singles aged 18 to 98 — found ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":753,"children":754},{},[755],{"type":97,"value":312},{"type":97,"value":757}," of singles feel burned out by dating and 54% feel drained by modern dating culture.",{"type":92,"tag":446,"props":759,"children":760},{},[761],{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":762,"children":763},{},[764,768,770,775],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":765,"children":766},{},[767],{"type":97,"value":329},{"type":97,"value":769}," of US singles have taken deliberate breaks from dating, and 47% report dating burnout (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":771,"children":773},{"href":45,"rel":772},[134],[774],{"type":97,"value":320},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":777,"children":778},{},[779,785],{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":780,"children":782},{"href":53,"rel":781},[134],[783],{"type":97,"value":784},"Cleveland Clinic's",{"type":97,"value":786}," Dr. Albers explains the mechanism: \"Our brains really like clarity. They gravitate to black and white, so this gray area can be very hard to process and may even create anxiety.\" Undefined relationships also don't stay emotionally undefined — attachment chemistry doesn't check whether you've had the talk. As Albers notes, \"It's hard to override hormones like oxytocin with the logic that we're not attached.\"",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":788,"children":789},{},[790,792,798,799,804,806,812,814,820,822,827],{"type":97,"value":791},"The hookup research adds a longer-term data point: in studies cited by the ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":793,"children":795},{"href":49,"rel":794},[134],[796],{"type":97,"value":797},"APA",{"type":97,"value":530},{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":800,"children":801},{},[802],{"type":97,"value":803},"78%",{"type":97,"value":805}," of women and 72% of men who'd had uncommitted sex reported a history of regret about at least one encounter. None of this means casual connection is damaging by default. It means the \"no expectations\" arrangement reliably produces expectations, and pretending otherwise has a measurable cost — the same cost driving ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":807,"children":809},{"href":808},"\u002Fblog\u002Fglossary\u002Fdating-app-fatigue\u002F",[810],{"type":97,"value":811},"dating-app fatigue",{"type":97,"value":813}," and the long limbo of the ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":815,"children":817},{"href":816},"\u002Fblog\u002Fglossary\u002Ftalking-stage\u002F",[818],{"type":97,"value":819},"talking stage",{"type":97,"value":821},". If you're trying to figure out whether your own gray area is a phase or a pattern, start with the difference between a ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":823,"children":824},{"href":78},[825],{"type":97,"value":826},"situationship and a relationship",{"type":97,"value":828},".",{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":830,"children":832},{"id":831},"are-daters-getting-clearer-about-what-they-want",[833],{"type":97,"value":834},"Are Daters Getting Clearer About What They Want?",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":836,"children":837},{},[838,840,845,847,853],{"type":97,"value":839},"Slowly, and unevenly. Even at the peak of the situationship trend, Tinder's own survey data showed clarity outranking cool: ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":841,"children":842},{},[843],{"type":97,"value":844},"73%",{"type":97,"value":846}," of young singles said they prioritized a match who is ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":848,"children":850},{"href":30,"rel":849},[134],[851],{"type":97,"value":852},"clear about what they want",{"type":97,"value":854},", and 58% said they felt confident identifying relationship red and green flags. People advertising situationships and people demanding directness were, in many cases, the same people — the gray area was supposed to be a labeled box, not a fog.",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":856,"children":857},{},[858,860,866,868,873],{"type":97,"value":859},"The bottleneck is vulnerability, not desire. Hinge's ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":861,"children":863},{"href":57,"rel":862},[134],[864],{"type":97,"value":865},"D.A.T.E. Report",{"type":97,"value":867}," found that ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":869,"children":870},{},[871],{"type":97,"value":872},"52%",{"type":97,"value":874}," of daters have felt ashamed after being emotionally vulnerable with someone — yet only 19% felt uncomfortable when the other person opened up first. Everyone is braced for a judgment that almost nobody is actually making. The same report found daters are 85% more likely to want a second date when asked thoughtful questions. The math of the gray zone is lopsided: the honest move is lower-risk than it feels, and it's the ambiguity that's quietly expensive.",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":876,"children":877},{},[878,880,886,888,893,895,900,902,908,910,915],{"type":97,"value":879},"There's even a macro signal that the pendulum is moving. After two decades of rising singlehood, ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":881,"children":883},{"href":38,"rel":882},[134],[884],{"type":97,"value":885},"Pew found",{"type":97,"value":887}," the share of unpartnered US adults ",{"type":92,"tag":192,"props":889,"children":890},{},[891],{"type":97,"value":892},"fell",{"type":97,"value":894}," from 44% in 2019 to ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":896,"children":897},{},[898],{"type":97,"value":899},"42%",{"type":97,"value":901}," in 2023 — the first sustained downtick in years. And in the ",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":903,"children":905},{"href":45,"rel":904},[134],[906],{"type":97,"value":907},"Singles in America data",{"type":97,"value":909},", belief in love at first sight has nearly doubled, from 34% in 2014 to ",{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":911,"children":912},{},[913],{"type":97,"value":914},"60%",{"type":97,"value":916}," in 2025. Burned out, yes — but not checked out.",{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":918,"children":920},{"id":919},"methodology-sourcing",[921],{"type":97,"value":922},"Methodology & Sourcing",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":924,"children":925},{},[926],{"type":97,"value":927},"Every statistic on this page was verified directly against its primary source — the original survey publisher, newsroom release, or peer-reviewed research summary — rather than against secondhand aggregator sites. Selection criteria:",{"type":92,"tag":929,"props":930,"children":931},"ul",{},[932,989,999,1009],{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":933,"children":934},{},[935,940,942,947,948,953,954,960,962,968,969,975,977,982,983,988],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":936,"children":937},{},[938],{"type":97,"value":939},"Primary sources preferred.",{"type":97,"value":941}," Survey owners (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":943,"children":945},{"href":26,"rel":944},[134],[946],{"type":97,"value":27},{"type":97,"value":530},{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":949,"children":951},{"href":34,"rel":950},[134],[952],{"type":97,"value":39},{"type":97,"value":530},{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":955,"children":957},{"href":45,"rel":956},[134],[958],{"type":97,"value":959},"Match\u002FKinsey",{"type":97,"value":961},"), official newsrooms (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":963,"children":965},{"href":30,"rel":964},[134],[966],{"type":97,"value":967},"Tinder",{"type":97,"value":530},{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":970,"children":972},{"href":57,"rel":971},[134],[973],{"type":97,"value":974},"Hinge",{"type":97,"value":976},"), and clinical or scientific publishers (",{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":978,"children":980},{"href":49,"rel":979},[134],[981],{"type":97,"value":797},{"type":97,"value":530},{"type":92,"tag":100,"props":984,"children":986},{"href":53,"rel":985},[134],[987],{"type":97,"value":490},{"type":97,"value":159},{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":990,"children":991},{},[992,997],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":993,"children":994},{},[995],{"type":97,"value":996},"Numbers confirmed on the page cited.",{"type":97,"value":998}," If a widely repeated figure could not be located in its claimed source, it was dropped. Several popular \"situationship statistics\" circulating on aggregator blogs failed this check and do not appear here.",{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":1000,"children":1001},{},[1002,1007],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":1003,"children":1004},{},[1005],{"type":97,"value":1006},"Sample sizes and dates stated where the source states them.",{"type":97,"value":1008}," YouGov: 1,110 US adults, January 2024. Singles in America: 5,001 US singles, published June 2025. Hinge: approximately 30,000 daters surveyed in 2025. Pew figures are from 2020, 2023, and 2024 datasets as noted inline.",{"type":92,"tag":120,"props":1010,"children":1011},{},[1012,1017],{"type":92,"tag":124,"props":1013,"children":1014},{},[1015],{"type":97,"value":1016},"Last verified: June 2026.",{"type":97,"value":1018}," This page is reviewed quarterly; the next scheduled review is September 2026.",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":1020,"children":1021},{},[1022],{"type":97,"value":1023},"Anonymized, aggregate insights from Lainie usage data may be added in future revisions of this page. No Lainie app data appears in the current version.",{"type":92,"tag":109,"props":1025,"children":1027},{"id":1026},"cite-this-page",[1028],{"type":97,"value":1029},"Cite This Page",{"type":92,"tag":446,"props":1031,"children":1032},{},[1033],{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":1034,"children":1035},{},[1036],{"type":97,"value":1037},"Lainie Editorial Team (2026). Situationship Statistics 2026: How Common Are Undefined Relationships?. hilainie.com\u002Fresearch\u002Fsituationship-statistics\u002F",{"type":92,"tag":93,"props":1039,"children":1040},{},[1041],{"type":97,"value":1042},"This page may be cited or republished with attribution under a CC-BY license. Link to this page as the source; statistics should additionally credit the original publisher noted inline.",{"title":7,"searchDepth":1044,"depth":1044,"links":1045},2,[1046,1047,1048,1049,1050,1051,1052,1053,1054],{"id":111,"depth":1044,"text":114},{"id":422,"depth":1044,"text":425},{"id":495,"depth":1044,"text":498},{"id":573,"depth":1044,"text":576},{"id":667,"depth":1044,"text":670},{"id":735,"depth":1044,"text":738},{"id":831,"depth":1044,"text":834},{"id":919,"depth":1044,"text":922},{"id":1026,"depth":1044,"text":1029},"markdown","content:research:situationship-statistics.md","content","research\u002Fsituationship-statistics.md","research\u002Fsituationship-statistics","md",1781243309936]