44% of Americans have gotten back together with an ex after breaking up
Rumors have been circulating around the possible reunion of “Bennifer,” that is, actor Ben Affleck and singer/actor Jennifer Lopez. The celebrity couple were engaged in 2002 and eventually broke up in 2004, but recent photos suggest that they might be on the verge of rekindling their romance.
They certainly aren’t the only couple to break up only to find themselves drawn together again. A YouGov poll of more than 22,000 people finds that one in five (21%) people say they’ve broken up with someone and gotten back together “more than once.” A similar percentage (23%) say they’ve done this once, while 47% say this has never happened to them.
Millennials (24%) and Gen X’ers (25%) are more likely than other generations to say they’ve gotten back together with an ex-partner more than once (24% of millennials and 25% of Gen X) or once (24% and 24%). Relatively few members of Generation Z say they’ve done this more than once (12%) or once (15%), but that may be at least partly attributed to the fact that 31% of Gen Z says they haven’t been in a relationship in the first place. Among Baby Boomers, 16% say they’ve broken up and gotten back together with someone more than once; 21% have done so once.
For some, the desire to be in a relationship, any relationship, is enough to drive them back into an ex’s arms. Data from YouGov Profiles finds that three in 10 (30%) Americans agree with the statement “I’m only happy when I’m in a relationship.” Men (37%) are more likely than women (23%) to agree with this.
Among those who “definitely agree” with the above statement, 30% say they’ve gotten back together with an ex more than once and 21% say they have done this one time.
See full results here.
Related: Having a partner with similar religious beliefs is important to six in ten Americans
Methodology: 22,038 US adults 18+ were surveyed between May 12 - May 16, 2021. The responding sample is weighted to be representative of the US population.
Image: Getty