If you believe the buzz about millennials—the group of people reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century—you’ve probably heard the statement that we’re the generation that ruined dating. Supposedly, we’re constantly buried in our apps, we barely interact in person, and when we do, it’s just for casual hookups. Hell, we’ve even been credited with ushering in an actual dating apocalypse. But is there evidence to support these ideas, or have they just been drilled into us by the media?
Every year, the dating site Match surveys single Americans ages 18 and up to examine these kinds of beliefs about dating, sex, and love. And—surprise—a lot of them are totally off, according to the 5,509-person analysis. Here are some of the myths about twentysomethings that this year’s Singles in America survey will hopefully put to rest for good.
1. We’re done with dating.
While it might seem like people have progressively come to prefer casual sex to dating, the majority of singles are either actively looking for a relationship (22 percent) or open to one if the opportunity presents itself (42 percent). Almost half of singles (41 percent) dated last year, and twentysomethings are the generation most likely to have done so. We’re also 30 percent more likely than other generations to want a relationship this year.
2. We’re wasting our time with dating apps.
A lot of us have heard our friends (or ourselves) rant about how online dating doesn’t work and meeting through friends is so much easier. But the reality is, dating app users were four times more likely to date in 2016. In fact, dating apps were a more common means for meeting people, with 40 percent of actively dating singles getting their most recent first dates that way, rather than through mutual friends (only 24 percent). Complaining about Tinder will always be a favorite millennial pastime, and many of our complaints—like the creepy messages we receive—are totally valid. But the claim that it just doesn’t work is not.
3. We’re having a ton of sex.
Compared with our parents’ generation, we’re 51 percent more likely to be totally uninterested in sex. (Confirming that finding, a study published last year found that people in their twenties and early thirties have less sex than baby boomers and Gen Xers.) We’re also, for whatever reason, 66 percent less into oral than other generations. And despite fearmongering about our generation’s penchant for empty promiscuity, we’re actually 40 percent more likely to believe emotional intimacy enhances sex.
4. Online dating is only for the most desperate among us.
Nowadays, online dating is the absolute norm. Most singles (53 percent) have made a profile at some point, and almost half (40 percent) have met a date online. This is especially true for millennials: Fifty-seven percent more millennials than people of other generations have created profiles, and 75 percent more than baby boomers have gone out with someone they met online. Dating apocalypse, be damned.
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