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UK report links relationship decline among young people to isolation and rising costs
The Centre for Social Justice says young people in Britain are finding it harder to form relationships, amid falling rates of marriage and sexual activity and rising social isolation. Its report, Relationship Recession, links these trends to factors including explicit content, living costs, unemployment and changes in how people meet.
The report says nearly 30 per cent of 20- to 34-year-olds now live with their parents, up from 20 per cent in 2008; men approaching 25 are 26 times more likely to live with their mother than a spouse. It also cites a fall in marriage by age 30 over the past 50 years, a decline in sexually active 16- to 24-year-olds from 68 to 44 per cent in seven years, and a record-low fertility rate of 1.39 children per woman in England and Wales. More than 18 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds say they have considered posting adult content online.
In short
- A think tank describes a broad decline in relationships among young people.
- Nearly 30 per cent of 20- to 34-year-olds live with their parents.
- More than 18 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds have considered posting adult content.
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The case for
The report’s concerns can be seen as a warning that isolation, insecure work and unaffordable housing are making it harder for young people to build lasting relationships and the lives they want. Falling rates of partnership and sexual activity, alongside more young adults living with parents, may point to social and economic barriers that deserve attention, including the effects of explicit content and changing ways of meeting.
The case against
These trends do not by themselves show that young people are less able to form relationships or that society is in decline; they may reflect changing preferences, later marriage and greater choice about sex and parenthood. Living with parents can be a practical response to high housing costs, while lower fertility and changing ways of meeting need not be problems to solve, and the report’s suggested causes may be difficult to establish from these figures alone.
Explained simply
The Centre for Social Justice is a British think tank that publishes research and policy proposals on social issues. Its report looks at how young adults meet, form relationships and start families, against a backdrop of changing social habits and economic pressures.
Many people now stay in the family home longer, while marriage and sexual activity have become less common among younger adults. High housing costs and insecure work can affect when people feel able to live independently or plan a future with someone; dating apps and online content have also changed how people meet and socialise.
These trends matter because relationships, family life and having children shape people’s wellbeing and the country’s population over time. The report brings together several measures, though each describes a different part of young people’s lives.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Why Generation Only Fans shun real sex and marriage to post nude videos and live at home with mum: We reveal disturbing findings of top think-tank’s report into love lives of young people”.