Who does singlehood best? A latent profile analysis

Researchers have begun to address heterogeneity in the single population. Historically, singles have been differentiated either by their marital history (e.g., widowed, divorced, never-married) or by whether they considered their singlehood voluntary. However, these approaches leave many unanswered questions about heterogeneity among singles. Addressing heterogeneity is important in light of recent interest in understanding how well-being varies across categories of singles. In the present study, we address this question by using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) on a large cross-sectional sample of American singles (<i>N</i> = 4,835). Using LPA, we identified nine distinct profiles of singles differentiated by their romantic relationship goals (partner-seekers, casual-daters, and non-daters) and the perceived pressure they report experiencing from others to find a romantic partner (low-pressure, medium-pressure, and high-pressure). We then compared the profiles on levels of well-being, ill-being, personality, and socialization, as well as demographic, socioeconomic, and relationship history variables. Our analysis reveals several patterns of cross-category variability in outcomes, including some outcomes that vary primarily by romantic relationship goals, some that vary primarily by pressure, and others that vary according to a combination of both. Our results also suggest that two groups (low-pressure casual-daters and low-pressure non-daters) fare particularly well. They are also relatively common, comprising 30% of the sample. A third group-high-pressure non-daters-fare very poorly, and though they comprise only a small proportion of the sample (1.5%) the implications of this group are substantial when considered at national scale. The implications of these findings for research on singlehood and well-being are discussed.