A Renaissance in Dating study finds Gen Z are the ‘healthiest dating generation ever’

A new prediction has been made about how the future is going to look for Gen Z and it has a surprising finding. Photo / 123RF

When you think of Gen Z, it’s probably unlikely you imagine them to have strong relationships.

They often land the reputation of being selfish, self-obsessed and too occupied with their online world to even think about building a meaningful – let alone lasting – relationship.

But a new study has revealed that may not be the case and instead, it seems Gen Z’s could be the ones creating the most lasting and valuable relationships of all generations.

In a new report published by A Renaissance in Dating, Driven by Authenticity, it found that Gen Z particularly those age 18-25, are changing the dating game in such a way that it’s landed them the title of being the “healthiest dating generation ever”.

After studying thousands of Gen Zs from Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, researchers found that while marital satisfaction in those countries is lower than it was 20 years ago, the top 20 per cent of those marriages are more satisfied than ever before.

Speaking to news.com.au, Tinder’s global expert in relationship insights, Paul C. Brunson said the reason why comes down to Gen Z’s focus on mental health and their ability to set healthy boundaries.

“Personal development, emotional wellbeing, and clear communication in relationships are priorities for Gen Z, which leads to stronger and healthier marriages,” Brunson said adding, “Basically couples who learn healthy behaviours, and then embody that in their relationships typically have a higher satisfaction relationship.”

However, just because Gen Zs may be setting themselves up to have healthier marriages, it doesn’t necessarily mean they want marriage.

“They are, however, less interested in marriage than previous generations, preferring to focus on creating fulfilling lives.” he said adding, “they may have fewer marriages, but among those who are married, they will have the strongest.”

The comment was supported by the global study A Renaissance in Dating which found 18 to 25-year-olds on average place marriage as a low priority in their short to long-term goals, landing the number 10 spot.

Comparatively, millennials put marriage in their top four at the same age.

For Gen Z, one of their top priorities is reportedly self-care, with a massive 79 per cent of those surveyed stating they want their prospective partner to share the same view.

Another way Gen Z is changing the dating game is with their approach to defining relationships. Where older generations mostly referred to connections as “dating”, Gen Z is more likely to avoid putting pressure on something by using more casual terms.

They use terms such as “situationship”, “sneaky link”, “a thing” as ways to talk about the person they are seeing which in turn creates a healthy dating environment as it changes the way they perceive these relationships and where they may ultimately lead to.