Abstract
Both research and theory demonstrate that single adults are not a homogeneous group. However, scholars continue to rely on participants to self-identify their relationship status from a list that includes multiple forms of romantic involvement (e.g., casual dating, committed relationship, engaged, married), but only one category of non-involvement: “single.” This approach is especially limiting when studying emerging adults, who are often exploring different forms of sexual and romantic engagement. Consequently, we developed a two-step approach that contextualizes singlehood through the romantic and sexual activities of self-reported single emerging adults. Across three samples of U.S. emerging adults, we found that about half of respondents who identified themselves as not romantically involved with anyone were participating in romantic and/or sexual activities. In this article we describe the rationale behind our two-step approach to studying emerging adult singlehood, its relevance for singlehood research, and insights we gained from its use in three studies.
Department
Human Development and Family Studies
Publication Date
6-2023
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Beckmeyer, J. J., & Jamison, T. B. (2023, June). How single are single emerging adults? Paper presented at the 11th Conference on Emerging Adulthood, San Diego, CA.