The Reality of "Young People Drifting Away from Romance" is "Reiwa's Waiting for Chance" - Pairs' "Survey on Serious Romance and Encounter Methods"

Eureka Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director CEO: Ryoma Yamamoto; hereinafter "Pairs"), which operates the dating and marriage-hunting matching app "Pairs," conducted a "Survey on Serious Romance and Encounter Methods" to clarify the romantic attitudes of young people, who are often said to be drifting away from romance, and released the results on May 12, 2026*1. This survey revealed that many people in their 20s and 30s who desire serious relationships aspire to "chance and natural encounters" and have expectations for such opportunities. In conjunction with this, Gen Z critic Yohei Harada provided insights, based on this survey and social background, into what kind of expectations young people in the Reiwa era have for romance and how they act.

*1 Survey Name: "Survey on Serious Romance and Encounter Methods," Survey Period: April 25, 2026 - April 28, 2026, Survey Method: Internet survey, Target: 1,019 people (men and women in their 20s and 30s, unmarried and without a lover or partner), Survey Institution: PRIZMA Research

Pairs, with its new key phrase "Intentional Encounters," aims to support people who are striving to face new encounters with intent and realize new connections, embodying the desire to provide invaluable encounter opportunities for everyone seeking serious relationships. This survey was conducted to clarify the reality of what kind of encounters people seeking serious relationships are looking for.

Specifically, when people desiring serious relationships were asked about their thoughts and actions regarding meeting the opposite sex, approximately 90% (87.6%) aspired to "chance and natural encounters," and approximately 70% (66.6%) had a certain level of expectation regarding the possibility of "such encounters actually happening," revealing a state of "waiting for chance." On the other hand, approximately 90% (88.1%) of people had not experienced their ideal chance and natural encounter in the past six months, highlighting a gap between expectation and reality.

Based on the results of this survey, Gen Z critic Yohei Harada commented, "What this survey brought to light is the paradox that young people today are unknowingly wasting their most valuable 'time of youth' while waiting for miracles. Waiting for chance encounters is, in essence, the worst time-performance gamble they inherently dislike." For more details on Mr. Harada's insights, please refer to the bottom of the survey results.

Summary of Survey on Serious Romance and Encounter Methods

Approximately 70% of people in their 20s and 30s "waiting for chance" expect "chance and natural encounters"

・73.8% of those with dating intentions desire "serious relationships."

・Of these, 87.6% aspire to "chance and natural encounters."

・66.6% of people positively view the possibility of chance and natural encounters occurring.

・The most expected scenario for an encounter is "naturally meeting at a gathering with friends or acquaintances."

Gap between expectation and reality: Approximately 90% had "no" ideal chance and natural encounters in the past six months

・88.1% had "no" ideal chance and natural encounters in the past six months.

・Regarding whether there were chance encounters with someone who could be a romantic partner, even if not an ideal encounter, 71.8% answered "0 times/none."

・80.3% of people who desire serious relationships were passive in taking action to find encounters in the past six months.

Approximately 70% of people in their 20s and 30s "waiting for chance" expect "chance and natural encounters"

According to the "Survey on Young People's Life Design and Encounters" published by the Children and Families Agency in November 2024, the percentage of unmarried people who have never been in a relationship is 29.5% for working adults in their 20s and 29.9% for working adults in their 30s, suggesting that approximately 70% of unmarried working adults in their 20s and 30s have romantic experience*2. On the other hand, the most common barrier to meeting a future partner in the same survey was "no place or opportunity to meet in the first place," with 29.0% for working adults in their 20s and 34.1% for working adults in their 30s*3.

*2 Calculated by subtracting the percentage of respondents who answered "never been in a relationship" from 100% in "Q32. Please select what applies to your recent romantic tendencies (multiple answers allowed)" on page 103. "Working adults in their 20s (unmarried)" is 29.5%, and "Working adults in their 30s (unmarried)" is 29.9%.

*3 Quoted from "Q43. (1) Please select what you consider to be barriers to your marriage (multiple answers allowed)" on page 184, for "no place or opportunity to meet in the first place" for "Working adults in their 20s (unmarried)" and "Working adults in their 30s (unmarried)".

While those with romantic experience are the majority, Pairs believes that clarifying the reality of "encounters" can encourage the "will" of young people towards romance, and thus conducted the "Survey on Serious Romance and Encounter Methods." The survey asked about romantic attitudes and compiled the intentions of those who desire relationships.