~50% of young adults report reconciliation
A 2014 study on emerging adults found that nearly half reported a breakup followed by a reunion with the same partner.
Snapshot · Multiamory: Rethinking Modern Relationships
578 - Getting Back Together with an Ex: Great Idea or Terrible Idea?
Explore episode
May 12, 2026
Where this was said
The Statistics: How Common Is Reconciliation Really?
At 7:40 · chapter starts 7:20
Emily takes the hosts through the numbers, beginning with a 2014 study on relationship churning in emerging adulthood that found nearly half of young adults reported a breakup followed by a reunion, with over half of those also continuing a sexual relationship with the ex. The Good Men Project survey of 4,534 people aged 18–55 found 32% of exes attempted reconciliation — a figure that surprises Jace ('That's a third — that's wild!') — but only 18% of those stayed together longer than a year. The ExBackPermanently website survey adds a third perspective: 15% stay together, 14% break up again, making it essentially a coin toss, though the hosts note the obvious self-selection bias of that particular sample. The conversation turns to what this really means: the real question isn't whether you can get back together, but whether anything has actually changed. [1] — Emily Matlack "32% of exes attempt reconciliation: A Good Men Project survey of 4,534 people aged 18–55 found that 32% of exes attempted to get back toget…" 08:25
32% of exes attempt reconciliation
A Good Men Project survey of 4,534 people aged 18–55 found that 32% of exes attempted to get back together.
The Statistics on Getting Back Together: Rarer Than You Think
Roughly a third of people attempt to get back with an ex, but only around 15% of all couples who reconcile actually stay together. The numbers that claim it's a coin toss come from a self-selected website audience — which may inflate the optimism considerably.
Only 15% get back & stay together
A survey by ExBackPermanently found only about 15% of people who reconcile with an ex stay together long-term.
College as the Ultimate Relationship Incubator
College concentrates thousands of similar-aged, similarly-educated people in close proximity with abundant unstructured time — conditions nearly impossible to replicate in adult life. Campus Explorer data shows 28% of married graduates met their spouse at the same college.
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