Partnering in turbulent times: Hooking up, dating, and romantic relationship formation in college, 2019–2024

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and related mitigation policies potentially were related to romantic and sexual partnering among straight and queer college students in 2020–2024. Objective: We examine percentages of those hooking up, dating, and forming long-term romantic relationships in college during 2019–2024; the number of intimate events and relationships; partner meeting contexts; and how patterns varied by gender and sexual orientation. Methods: We present results from surveys of 11,993 college students collected at 34 colleges between Fall 2019 and Spring 2024. We use random effects regression models to examine how partnering rates and meeting contexts changed each semester. We also examine differences separately by gender and sexual orientation. Results: Percentages of those hooking up remained relatively flat, while dating and long-term relationship formation rose temporarily over the period examined. Differences could be attributed to the changing age composition of students, with older students more common after 2019–2020. After standardization by age, percentages of those hooking up first declined and then recovered, but not fully. Dating percentages were flat before declining in the last year examined, and relationship formation was also flat with a brief rise in 2022–2023. Students met partners online more commonly during the height of the pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic was related to partnering in college in part because average age increased, partners increasingly met online, and hooking up declined. Contribution: We analyze a new large dataset to examine trends in sexual and romantic partnering on campus, providing new insights into college intimacy both before and during the pandemic.