And now, the State of Unions. Americans ages 18 to 29 are more often single, though not necessarily ready to mingle in a committed fashion, according to Gallup's latest poll:
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The farther back you go, the more you see the trend against marriage
Not much changed in the past year. Reported marriages are down (partly a historic trend), while singles or never-marrieds are at about the same rate as are young adults living with their partner. But there's a 12-point rise in singles or never-marrieds between 2004 and 2014, and married declined 13 points, from 29 percent to 16 percent.
What of the older millennials and Gen-Xers? The trend against getting married among 30-somethings is apparent over the 10-year period, too:
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From Gallup:
...young adults are not simply swapping marriage for living together, but rather staying single longer. This doesn't necessarily mean young adults are staying out of relationships, just that they are less likely to be making the more serious commitment associated with moving in together -- whether in marriage or not.
It also doesn't mean they are completely independent. In 2013, Gallup found 14% of adults aged 24 to 34 were living under a parent's roof.
This rise of singledom is particularly evident with 18- to 29-year-olds, increasing by roughly a quarter since 2004, from 52% to 64%. But it is also evident among adults aged 30 to 39, creeping up from 15% to 19% over the same period.
The last time we saw such a dramatic trend toward single life was in Japan, where fears are mostly about adults not having sex at all. A 2010 survey found that a third of Japanese 30-something men polled had not ever had sex.
