Let's talk about teenage romances for a minute, because the numbers are telling an interesting story. In 2010/11, 12% of 10-15-year-olds said they had a steady girlfriend or boyfriend, and that dropped to 9% in 2020/21.
The chart does show a fair bit of fluctuation over the years, but the overall direction of travel is definitely down! And this dip in steady relationships seems to align with data that shows they are less sexually active (Chart 11) as well as other research that suggests that Gen Z's dating habits aren't quite what we'd call traditional. According to US research just one in ten of Gen Z say they are “committed to being committed”.1
Some young people are approaching relationships in a new way, where it’s less about the steady boyfriend or girlfriend, and more about keeping things flexible and casual. The dating scene has definitely evolved!
Chart data source:
https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage/dataset-documentation/datafile/youth?search_api_views_fulltext=steady
- 1 https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220104-are-gen-z-more-pragmatic-about-love-and-sex