Fewer Teens Looking for a Date
by Andrew Herrmann
May 17, 2006

More than a quarter of high school seniors say they don't date -- the highest percentage in over 25 years, according to a new report. That isn't necessarily something to worry about, says the study's author. Instead, many teens are socializing with the opposite sex in large groups, which may have its own benefits.

Sociologist Brett Brown of the research group Child Trends analyzed dating data from 14,000 seniors, numbers collected in 2004 by the University of Michigan for its ongoing "Monitoring the Future" project.

About 27 percent of the Class of 2004 said they did not date. In 1976, some 15.1 percent of 12th graders said they did not go out on formal one-on-one engagements, according to the Child Trends analysis.
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