Featured Data February 22, 2023

Friend Zone

Survey Center Staff

Dumbbell plot showing percentage of Americans in a committed relationship who were friends with their partner before they started dating ages 18 and up

Dating apps have become an undeniable part of the romantic landscape, but more young people opting for a different strategy of finding a partner: Their friends. A new report, “From Swiping to Sexting: The Enduring Gender Divide in American Dating and Relationships” finds that young adults are much more likely than older Americans to say their partner or spouse was a friend first. This trend is even more common among young women. Half (50 percent) of young women who are in a relationship are dating someone with whom they were friends before they started dating.  

Advantages to dating your friends include; relationships starting from a place of mutual care, shared personal history, and an ability to trust the person you are dating and for young women specifically, safety. Seems like being in the “friend-zone” might not be as permanent of a position as many young men might think.  

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