High school girls are less certain about pairing up

Young Americans are increasingly unsure about their future dating and marriage plans. According to the annual Monitoring the Future study, a falling share of 12^th grade girls are certain they would like a lifetime partner. Between 1976 and 2010, about 65% of 12^th grade girls responded “definitely yes” when asked if they would you like a mate for most of their life. But with the Great Rewiring of the 2010s, young girls have become less sure. For the years 2020 to 2024, the share who responded “definitely yes” was just 48 percent. The responses “probably yes” and “not sure,” on the other hand, each rose 7 percentage points from 2010 to the present.

by Grant Bailey