Situationship Statistics: What Research Says About Undefined Relationships

Situationship Statistics: What Research Says About Undefined Relationships

Situationships have become one of the most recognisable parts of modern dating.

Two people may talk every day, spend nights together, share personal details and behave like a couple — while never actually agreeing on what the relationship is.

That grey area can feel confusing, especially when one person becomes more emotionally invested than the other.

But situationships are not just a social-media trend. Researchers are beginning to study how common they are, how they affect trust and communication, and why they can be emotionally difficult.

How common are situationships?

According to Left Unsaid’s review of current situationship statistics and research, a 2024 YouGov survey found that 39% of U.S. adults said they had experienced a situationship.

Among adults aged 18 to 34, the figure rose to 50%.

That does not mean half of young adults are currently in one. The survey measured whether respondents had ever experienced a situationship.

Even so, the result suggests that undefined relationships are far more common than many people realise.

Situationships do not all start on dating apps

There is a common assumption that situationships are mostly created by dating apps.

The survey data suggests otherwise.

According to the same research summary, 55% of reported situationships began through an in-person connection.

Social media accounted for 17%, while dating apps accounted for 7% among adults overall.

This matters because a situationship can develop almost anywhere.

It may begin between coworkers, friends, classmates, people in the same social circle, or two people who slowly become emotionally and physically involved without ever defining the relationship.

The real issue is usually ambiguity

There is nothing automatically unhealthy about a relationship that does not use traditional labels.

If both people understand what the relationship is and genuinely want the same thing, a casual or undefined arrangement may work perfectly well.

The problem is when the expectations are different.

One person may believe the relationship is slowly becoming serious.

The other may believe it is casual.

One person may assume exclusivity.

The other may still consider themselves single.

That is why the difference between a situationship and a relationship is about more than whether somebody uses the words boyfriend or girlfriend.

It is about expectations, commitment, clarity and mutual understanding.

What does research say about trust?

Researchers are also beginning to examine trust within situationships.

A 2026 study examined 261 emerging adults who reported on 468 romantic relationship experiences.

About 34% of those experiences were classified as situationships.

The researchers found that situationship status was associated with lower trust in the partner and lower perceived trust from the partner across several communication contexts.

That does not prove situationships cause distrust.

But it does show that relationship ambiguity may be connected with how secure people feel with each other.

If you do not know whether you are exclusive, where the relationship is going, or whether your partner sees the relationship the same way you do, trust can become harder to maintain.

Why can situationships feel so intense?

One of the most surprising things about situationships is how emotionally powerful they can become.

You might expect an undefined relationship to feel less serious.

Instead, uncertainty can make people pay even more attention to the relationship.

A delayed reply can feel significant.

A particularly affectionate message can create hope.

A quiet weekend can trigger anxiety.

A sudden burst of attention can feel like evidence that the relationship is finally progressing.

This repeated uncertainty helps explain why situationships can feel so intense even when there has never been an official commitment.

Why are they so difficult to get over?

The ending of a situationship can also feel strangely unresolved.

There may be no formal breakup.

Contact may simply fade.

Someone may disappear.

One person may finally admit that they never wanted a relationship.

That can leave the other person grieving not only what happened, but what they hoped would eventually happen.

This is one reason situationships can be so hard to get over.

It is difficult to grieve something that never had a clear beginning or ending.

The most useful question may not be “What are we?”

Sometimes people become completely focused on decoding the other person.

Do they secretly want commitment?

Are they afraid of relationships?

Why do they keep coming back?

Why are they affectionate one week and distant the next?

Those questions can matter.

But another question may be more useful:

Does this relationship actually work for me as it exists today?

Not what it could become.

Not what it might become if you wait another three months.

What is actually being offered now?

If both people genuinely want the same undefined arrangement, there may be no problem.

If one person is constantly waiting for commitment while the other avoids giving it, the ambiguity itself has become part of the relationship pattern.

Use the research as context, not prediction

Statistics can tell us that situationships are common.

They can help researchers identify patterns around age, trust, communication and emotional experience.

But they cannot predict what one particular person will do.

They cannot tell you whether your situationship will eventually become a committed relationship.

They also cannot tell you how long you should wait.

For the full evidence review, including prevalence figures, research limitations and recent academic findings, see Situationship Statistics: What the Research Says in 2026.

For the wider topic, including definitions, mixed signals, commitment, endings and recovery, browse the Left Unsaid Situationships Guide.