The Eras of Singlehood: 11-Year Longitudinal Trajectories of Never-Married Singles’ Well-Being Across Cohorts

Lifespan theories often frame partnership and marriage as central life goals, while largely overlooking those who never marry. The present study examined 11-year trajectories (2009/2010–2020/2021) of never-married German singles across three birth cohorts ( N = 2,930; ages 18–48). Using latent class growth analysis, we modeled trajectories of life satisfaction, singlehood satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and desire for a partner. Most never-married singles reported consistently high and relatively stable life satisfaction. In contrast, singlehood satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and partner desire showed greater heterogeneity, with classes differing mainly in baseline levels and remaining stable over time. Trajectories with the highest well-being were more highly educated, extraverted, more likely to be employed full-time, and lower in neuroticism. Interestingly, trajectories with the strongest partner desire showed lower education levels and higher agreeableness. Altogether, while singles report diverse romantic and sexual experiences, singles still report satisfaction with their lives generally.