Seventy-six percent of single Americans say they still believe romantic love can last a lifetime, according to survey results Match and the Kinsey Institute released this week. The finding lands at an odd moment, in a year when commentators have been declaring dating “dead” and pointing to falling marriage rates as proof singles have quietly given up on forever. The new data suggests something closer to the opposite. Most singles haven’t stopped believing in lasting love. They’ve just gotten pickier about how they get there, and a growing share now rank feeling safe over feeling swept off their feet.
What the study actually found
The 15th annual Singles in America study, conducted by the Kinsey Institute in partnership with Match, surveyed nearly 5,000 U.S. singles across 120 questions between March and April 2026. It is the longest-running scientific study of single adults in the country, and this year’s edition found singles holding two seemingly contradictory beliefs at once. They have firmer expectations for a partner than in years past, yet they are still regularly surprised by who they end up falling for anyway.
According to Match’s own release of the findings, 74% of singles believe some relationships are simply meant to be, 62% believe in love at first sight, and 61% believe there is a soulmate or perfect match out there for them somewhere. None of those numbers describe a population that has written off romance.
Key Points
- 76% of singles believe romantic love can last forever, and 74% believe some relationships are “meant to be.”
- 34% now prioritize peace and emotional safety in a partner over passion and excitement, which only 14% ranked first; among women, that split was 40% to 9%.
- 61% say feeling respected matters most in a relationship, ahead of feeling listened to (56%) and being able to share feelings without judgment (54%).
- 72% describe themselves as interested in or open to dating, though only 16% are actively hunting for something serious right now.
- 49% have fallen for someone they weren’t initially attracted to, and 46% of singles with a strict partner checklist ended up falling for someone who broke their own rules.
That last statistic might be the most telling one in the whole report. Singles increasingly walk into dating with a specific list of must-haves, and nearly half of them get proven wrong by their own hearts. Dr. Justin Garcia, executive director of the Kinsey Institute, pointed to that tension directly in the study’s release: “Nearly half have fallen for someone they weren’t initially attracted to, and conversation, shared interests, and values can change how they see someone.” Chemistry isn’t dead. It just shows up slower than the apps promised it would.
The study also found singles getting more practical about the unglamorous parts of partnership. Seventy-one percent said being upfront about money builds trust, and 70% said they are open to a prenup or similar financial agreement before marriage. That’s not the profile of a generation chasing a fantasy. It’s the profile of one trying to build something sturdy enough to survive contact with real life.
None of this means dating has gotten easier this year, or that singles are any less exhausted by it than the headlines suggest. It means the people actually doing it haven’t given up on where it’s supposed to lead.
