Statistics we cite
Every number published on situationshiphelp, verified against a primary source. Each entry has a permalink — cite a single statistic by linking its anchor. Last verification: 2026-08-21.
- 39% — 39% of US adults say they have been in a situationship#
- Source: YouGov (2024) · verified 2026-08-21
- 50% — Half of Americans aged 18 to 34 (50%) say they have been in a situationship#
- Source: YouGov (2024) · verified 2026-08-21
- 29% — About three-in-ten US adults (29%) say someone they had gone out with suddenly stopped answering their calls or messages without explanation#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 42% — About four-in-ten US adults aged 18 to 29 (42%) say they have been ghosted#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 53% — 53% of US adults who have used online dating say they have been ghosted#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 19% — 19% of US adults who have never used online dating say they have been ghosted#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 62% — 62% of US adults said they had heard of the dating term "ghosting"#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 89% — 89% of US adults said they had heard of the term "friends with benefits"#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 63% — 63% of US adults said they had heard of the term "catfishing"#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 9% — 9% of US adults said they had heard of the term "breadcrumbing"#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 26% — 26% of US adults who are not in a committed relationship say they are looking for either a committed relationship or casual dates#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 40% — 40% of single US adults who are on the dating market say that if they decided after a first date they did not want to go out with that person again, they would contact them and let them know#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 52% — 52% of single US adults on the dating market say that after a first date they did not want to repeat, they would not contact the person but would let them know if the person contacted them#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 8% — 8% of single US adults on the dating market say that after a first date they did not want to repeat, they would not contact the person and would not respond if the person contacted them#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 87% — 87% of US adults say it is always acceptable to break up in person with someone you are casually dating#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 48% — 48% of US adults say it is never acceptable to break up by text message with someone you are casually dating#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 18% — 18% of US adults say it is sometimes acceptable to break up by text message with someone you are casually dating#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- 30% — 30% of US adults say they have ever used a dating site or app#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2023) · verified 2026-08-21
- 53% — 53% of US adults under 30 say they have ever used a dating site or app#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2023) · verified 2026-08-21
- 9% — 9% of US adults say they have used a dating site or app in the past year#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2023) · verified 2026-08-21
- 10% — 10% of partnered US adults say they first met their current spouse or partner on a dating site or app#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2023) · verified 2026-08-21
- 44% — 44% of US adults who have used a dating site or app in the past year say meeting a long-term partner is a major reason they used them#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2023) · verified 2026-08-21
- 40% — 40% of US adults who have used a dating site or app in the past year say dating casually is a major reason they used them#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2023) · verified 2026-08-21
- 47% — 47% of US adults say that, for most people, dating is harder today than it was 10 years ago#
- Source: Pew Research Center (2020) · verified 2026-08-21
- first recorded in 2005–10 — Dictionary.com defines a situationship as "a romantic or sexual relationship that its participants have not defined, and which can also lack commitment or exclusivity", labelled informal, and dates the word's first recorded use to 2005–10#
- Source: Dictionary.com (2026) · verified 2026-08-21
- 1 of 4 finalists — "Situationship" was one of the four finalists for Oxford University Press's Word of the Year 2023, alongside rizz (the winner), Swiftie and prompt#
- Source: Oxford University Press (2023) · verified 2026-08-21
- N/A — definition — Dictionary.com defines ghosting as "the practice of suddenly ending all contact with a person without explanation, often in a dating or romantic relationship"#
- Source: Dictionary.com (2026) · verified 2026-08-21
- N/A — definition — Dictionary.com gives soft launch a relationship sense: "a subtle reveal of a romantic or personal relationship without giving direct and unambiguous information"#
- Source: Dictionary.com (2026) · verified 2026-08-21
- N/A — definition — Dictionary.com's dating-slang glossary defines benching as "keeping a potential romantic partner on hold in case others don't work out"#
- Source: Dictionary.com (2021) · verified 2026-08-21
- N/A — definition — Dictionary.com's dating-slang glossary defines orbiting as "when someone breaks off all contact with a person they were dating in real life, but they continue following that person on social media"#
- Source: Dictionary.com (2021) · verified 2026-08-21
- N/A — definition — Dictionary.com's dating-slang glossary describes a zombie as "a ghoster who 'rises from the dead' and contacts you like nothing ever happened"#
- Source: Dictionary.com (2021) · verified 2026-08-21
- N/A — definition — Dictionary.com's dating-slang glossary describes breadcrumbing as engaging in "occasional chats and messages" and even flirting while not intending "to actually pursue a relationship"#
- Source: Dictionary.com (2021) · verified 2026-08-21
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