Is Conventional Monogamy Dying?
Ask Americans under 25 about monogamy and 42% say it is no longer a realistic ideal. Across all of Gen Z, 68% say they would at least consider a non-monogamous relationship, and about 15% are in an open one right now, roughly five times the rate of their Gen X parents. Numbers like these get treated as an obituary for monogamy. The fuller picture is more complicated, and more interesting. The Numbers in Context Stated interest and actual practice are far apart. A January 2025 survey found that 61% of respondents would consider a non-monogamous relationship, while 39% said monogamy is the only structure they would accept. Yet the share of people currently living in an open relationship is much smaller, around 7% of adults, with more conservative estimates putting partnered non-monogamy nearer 2.5% to 4%. Lifetime figures fall in between. Roughly 20% to 25% of adults report having tried it at some point or being open to it, and about 21% of single Americans say they have engaged in s...
