The Relationship Recession Is Even Bigger for Gen Z Than We Thought

A New Scientist report on the deepening "relationship recession" among Gen Z — drawing on the 2026 State of Our Unions data (Wheatley Institute / Institute for Family Studies, 5,275 single adults 22–35) showing only about one in three young adults actively dating, with 74% of women and 64% of men reporting no or only a few dates in the past year. The piece walks through the proposed drivers — phones, pandemic-era isolation, dating-app burnout, and economic anxiety — and the downstream effects on mental health and even workplace social skill. Note: New Scientist blocked direct fetching.