Men under 30 aren't going on dates because it feels 'more like a job interview'
New research has shown that the majority of US blokes under 30 are single, and many of them are happy that way, with one man saying dates now feel more like job interviews.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day last month, Pew Research Centre shared new data on single status in the US, revealing that adults under the age of 30 are the most likely to be single.
Looking at gender, 63 percent of men under 30 are single, while for women in that age group it’s 34 percent.
Advert
But it seems that most folks who aren’t loved up are pretty happy to keep it that way, as the data also showed that a clear majority (57 percent) of US singletons of all ages said they were not currently on the look for love.
And, even those who were ‘single and looking’ weren’t all looking for something serious, with seven percent they only wanted casual dates.
Speaking to the New York Post, 28-year-old single man Ian Breslow shared why he was shunning a serious relationship.
He told the publication: “Dates feel more like job interviews now. Much more like ‘What can you do for me and where is this going?'
“The ‘getting to know you’ period is gone and that doesn’t feel so great after coming out of isolation.”
He also recalled one particular date where he was bombarded with questions about his plans for the future.
“She literally asked me, ‘Would you rather our kids go to public or private school?’” he said.
“Followed by several more extreme questions about getting married. I just started responding with what I knew she would hate the most to get her to leave.”
Good strategy.
The dating scene has left school teacher Ian ‘unmotivated’ to look for something serious for the ‘time being’, so he’s sticking to casual flings.
Single Andrew Bruno, 28, has a similar outlook. He told the Post that post-Covid flirting and meeting women is more difficult.
He explained: “Being able to naturally approach people while out isn’t like it was pre-pandemic.
"People are still much less likely to leave their groups or cliques at a bar.
"They’re certainly less talkative and that’s lowered my incentive to put myself out there.”
Andrew’s opinion appears to be backed up by the data, too - with Pew Research Centre finding that fewer people - 42 percent - are looking for either casual dates or something serious than in 2019 (when it was 49 percent) and that the drop has mainly been driven by men.
Topics: US News, Sex and Relationships
Claire Reid