American Adults Redefining Their "Happily-Ever-Afters" According to The Love Lowdown: A Study of Modern Romance from Harlequin

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Jun 27, 2023, 09:33 ET

NEW YORK, June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report out today finds US adults are placing less emphasis on finding a long-term partner and instead prioritizing self-love and friendships as paths to social and personal fulfillment. The Love Lowdown: A Study of Modern Romance from Harlequin surveyed 2,000 US adults and found that fewer than half (46%) of the participants who are unmarried are actively dating or in a long-term relationship and 50% of those not dating are perfectly comfortable with their single status.

The following are key findings from the study:

Today's happily-ever-after is bucking traditional norms. Over half (57%) of adults said they can have a happily-ever-after with or without a long-term partner, with 42% citing a long-term, healthy relationship with themselves as their preferred happy ending. Those preferring to surround themselves with friends and family who they have a good relationship with top the list (55%).
Nearly half of unmarried adults are not dating. Of the 60% of adults who are not married, almost half (46%) are single and not dating—with more than three-quarters (77%) saying they haven't been on a date in the past month. And of those that have committed to dating, less than half (42%) say they enjoy dates. Romance readers enjoy first dates (50%) more than non-romance readers (40%), and interestingly, men (49%) are much more likely to enjoy first dates than women (37%).
Most unmarried Americans don't feel pressured to be in a committed relationship. The majority (57%) of unmarried Americans say they don't feel compelled to be married or in a committed relationship, with exactly half (50%) prioritizing themselves and spending time with friends over finding a partner. Of those that do feel pressure, a quarter (25%) say they feel it from all sides—friends, family, social media and even themselves.
Summer is the best season for finding love. When it comes to finding a long-term partner, summer love reigns supreme (23%), with spring (15%) narrowly beating fall (14%) and winter (13%).

Romance Books Empower Readers to Find Love in Real Life

Harlequin's Love Lowdown also surveyed 681 romance readers, finding a correlation between reading romance books and attitudes about real life relationships. Reading romance books was seen as an advantage, with more than a third (35%) saying they are more adept at spotting red flags in relationships and 58% reporting they feel more confident in setting standards for their relationships as a result of reading romance books.

"Today's romance books offer a vast array of narratives to meet readers where they are on their own journeys, helping broaden the understanding of 'happily-ever-after.' The characters' friends, family, career aspirations and personal goals are central to their happily-ever-after, making the eventual romance more fulfilling," said Farah Mullick, Vice President, Associate Publisher at Harlequin. "The Love Lowdown reinforces that, as adults tell us that they're prioritizing themselves and their friends and evolving beyond traditional norms that previously dictated how we think about the happy ending."

Summer of Love

With summer ranked the best season to find love—and a time when romance reading spikes as readers seek light, escapist books for the beach, pool and plane—Harlequin is also kicking off their Summer of Love campaign with the release of more than 250 new romance books. Top summer reads include:

ALLIANCE WITH HIS STOLEN HEIRESS by Lydia San Andres
THE BUSINESS BETWEEN THEM by Mona Shroff
A RULEBOOK FOR RESTLESS ROGUES by Jess Everlee
THE WITCH IS BACK by Sophie H. Morgan

You can find a full list of Harlequin's summer titles here, as well as the full Love Lowdown: A Study of Modern Romance report here.

Research Methodology

The Love Lowdown: A Study of Modern Romance from Harlequin consisted of two surveys. The first, with a nationally representative sample of US adults, was conducted online from May 23–26, 2023, by Opinium Research for Harlequin. The second, conducted online from May 23–30, 2023, surveyed 681 romance readers living in the US who have opted into Harlequin's proprietary consumer insights panel.

About Harlequin

Harlequin (Harlequin.com) is a leading publisher of fiction and narrative nonfiction and will be celebrating its 75^th anniversary in 2024. Harlequin is unique in the publishing world as a destination brand for romance novels, with 65% of readers thinking of Harlequin first when they think of romance novels. The company publishes more than 100 titles a month, in both print and digital formats, that are sold around the world. Encompassing highly recognizable imprints that span a broad range of genres, the publisher is home to many award-winning New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors. Harlequin is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, the second-largest consumer book publisher globally, with operations in 17 countries and 16 languages. For more information, please visit Harlequin.com and WriteforHarlequin.com. Follow Harlequin on Facebook: @HarlequinBooks, Twitter: @HarlequinBooks, Instagram: @HarlequinBooks and on TikTok: @HarlequinBooks.