Half of American singles haven’t gone on a single date this past year, and more than half aren’t sure they’d want to date their “perfect match” even if he showed up, a new poll suggests. After surveying 4,952 single Americans, the Kinsey Institute released its annual “Singles in America” study on September 14, revealing some startling findings:

• 48 percent of respondents had not gone on a single in-person date in the previous year. Another 11 percent had been on one date.
• 52 percent said they are happier when they are not in a relationship. Only 16.3 percent described themselves as actively seeking a committed relationship.
• The poll asked what they would do if their perfect relationship partner showed up. Just 46 percent said they would date the person, 29 percent said they weren’t sure, and 25 percent said they would still rather remain single.

Generations of Americans have struggled to build strong marriages and families. But the current generation is abandoning the struggle and treating the core institution of human life as if it were outdated. They are choosing to avoid marriage and family altogether.

Why Marriage—Soon Obsolete? as Herbert W. Armstrong asked in his booklet more than 50 years ago. The concept seemed fanciful then—but a generation or so later, it’s reality. He wrote:

But marriages are not only breaking down all around us; the very usefulness and desirability of the custom is being seriously questioned! Is marriage on the way out, after all these generations and centuries? Is the home, and family life, to disappear from human society?

This was a shocking claim to many readers in 1970s America. But now we see this prediction rapidly being fulfilled.

• This is a tragic and lonely state for a nation that originally sought to stand as a shining city on a hill, not only for its strong marriages and families but also for all other biblical Christian virtues.

But even the most pious Americans of the pilgrims’ generation never knew how deep marriage and family go. Family is actually at the heart of the Bible and God’s purpose for mankind.

• The first chapters of Genesis immediately focus on male and female, husband and wife. The Gospels record that the Father revealed Jesus as His Son, and Jesus repeatedly declared the Father (Genesis 2:18; Matthew 11:27; John 1:18).

Why is marriage essential to national society, to human civilization, to human existence? What is it that even most Christians don’t understand about marriage—and therefore have failed to halt its obsolescence? Order your free copy of Why Marriage—Soon Obsolete? to understand the profound biblical purpose behind marriage and why it is worth defending. The latest Kinsey Institute study confirms this knowledge has never been more needed.