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Generation X Study Finds Changing Age Pattern
for Love
(onlinedatingmagazine.com - July 16, 2003) Generation X,
the children of baby boomers who are now aged between
18 and 34, is showing itself to be quite distinct from
previous generations of Americans where love and romance
are concerned, according to a nationwide study by American
Consumer Opinion, a worldwide online panel
that pays people for their opinions.
A recent survey
of 744 men and women, drawn from a balanced sample
of the 3.5 million-strong American Consumer Opinion Online
panel, found that respondents under the age of 35,
regardless of gender, were likely to have fallen in
love for the first time at a younger age than did older
respondents, had fallen in love more often while they
were young, and had enjoyed substantially fewer restrictions
on their romantic activities than had previous generations.
The
average age at which the under-35s reported experiencing
their first "crush" was approximately 9.5
years of age, a full year younger than for
those aged between 35 and 44. For those over-55s who completed the study, their
first crushes had come even later. Most of these respondents
reported they were more than 11 years old when they
first experienced a "crush."
As well as being
early starters, Generation Xers also appear to have
fallen in love more frequently than older American
generations.
By the age of 18, the under-35s had been "romantically
attracted" an average of 11.7
times.
In marked contrast, their immediate elders
(the 35-to-44 age group) reported only seven (an average
of 7.1) such romantic attractions before the age of
18, and the over-55s claimed only five (5.0) young
romances.
Such differences might at first glance
appear an indication that love has been trivialized
by younger generations, for it is unlikely that young
Americans are simply more drawn to love and romance
than their
parents. Yet an alternative explanation is revealed
by the study — Generation Xers have been given
far more freedom to pursue love and romance than have
any other generation.
When asked at what age "you
were first allowed to date," the most popular
response from the under-35s was that they "did
not have any age restrictions" (25.4 percent of
the total). Yet just 13 percent of over-35s had been
similarly free to date when they were young (13.3 percent).
Moreover,
the trend towards less parental interference in dating
appears to be increasing.
Within the under-35 age group,
those aged between 18 and 24 were most likely to
report they were unhindered in their dating (36.6 percent
of this group did not have any age restrictions).
Such
responses appear to show that American society is
increasingly willing to allow the young freedom to
develop their own relationships. On the other hand,
perhaps it is just a recognition that the challenges
of love and romance now affect almost every American,
no matter what their age.
Methodology: For its
2003 "U.S. Romance Study," a
balanced sample of 744 participants was selected from
American Consumer Opinion® Online, with nearly
3.5 million participants. This
study's margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent
at a 90 percent confidence level.
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