The Coronavirus pandemic created fundamental obstacles to relationship formation. More than 10 million more US adults were single during the pandemic in 2022 compared to 2017. Young adults were especially affected by the pandemic dating recession. The arrival of COVID-19 vaccines did not ameliorate the pandemic dating recession; on the contrary, vaccinated adults were more likely to describe barriers to dating in 2022. The lack of data on casual romantic relationships in the US has led to a lack of appreciation for the potential vulnerability of casual relationships to external shocks such as a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a long tail of lingering social effects.

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