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Nadine Wimmer reporting If you are over the age of 25 and single in Utah, you may feel like a minority, but more and more people are joining those ranks.
You may have noticed in your own family or at work, people are waiting to get married.
The average marriage age is higher than ever, even here in Utah. So we wanted to see if or when it becomes "Too Late for Love."
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"/ Courtesy IFC Films: "WHY DON'T YOU JUST GET MARRIED?"
For a lot of singles these days, it's the dreaded question with no easy answer.
Cameron Hulse/29: "ACTUALLY, NO ONE HAS ASKED ME YET."
Chrissy Lassen/29: "ISSUES-- I DON'T KNOW WHY!"
Brian Miller/ 31: "I'VE GOT SOME SERIOUS BAGGAGE."
Liz Anderson/28: "MY PARENTS SAY IT'S BECAUSE I HAVE TOO MUCH FUN AND I JUST NEED TO SETTLE DOWN."
Brian Matsen/ 30: "I'VE DONE MY SHARE OF DATING OVER THE YEARS. WHAT CAN I SAY? I'M 30 AND NOT MARRIED BUT I'M STILL TRYING."
No doubt the road to romance is getting longer. There are also a lot of myths and misconceptions about who's out there and who isn't. We delved into some dating data to get a glimpse into the reality of romance.
Dating data, is there a drought of single men? The answer is yes, and no.
Wasatch Front
Number of singles: 397,242
Single men: 49%
Single women: 51%
According to the U.S Census Bureau, there are close to 400,000 single people along the Wasatch Front and it's just about an even split between men and women.
Amanda Barusch/ University of Utah College of Social Work: "THEY'RE THERE. IT'S CLEAR, THE CENSUS DATA SHOWS THE MEN ARE THERE."
But when you factor in age, the numbers can change.
Dating data show single women by the age 35 have only a 40 percent chance of getting married, according to a published study from Antioch University.
No wonder, for women, the pressure is on.
Tiffany Peterson/ 30: "OF COURSE I THINK WHY AREN'T I MARRIED? WHEN AM I GOING TO GET MARRIED? WHAT'S GOING ON?"
Women like Tiffany Peterson, almost 30, working on a master's degree. Manager with Goldman Sachs, owns her own home. Yet, she finds it hard to date, let alone marry.
TIFFANY PETERSON: "I KNOW A FEW PEOPLE WHO GET ASKED OUT ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT IT'S A LOT MORE SAFE, AND A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE, FOR EVERYONE TO JUST GET TOGETHER."
TIFFANY PETERSON: "THE CONCEPT OF DATING, IT ISN'T THE SAME AT ALL."
True, a lot has changed. But there are also a lot of misconceptions.
Dating data shows on the contrary, most people aren't single because they choose to be.
Even with education and promising careers, the Institute for American Values reports 83 percent of college women rate marriage as an important goal.
AMANDA BARUSCH/U OF U COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK: "NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF PEOPLE WANT THAT, AN INTIMATE, COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP."
And they're working hard to achieve that goal.
Meet Leslie Bates, age 31. She's tried on-line dating, the 8-minute dating program and initiated a singles "Brunch Club."
She's now treating dating like a business venture -- she jokingly refers to it as the "Bates quarterly report."
As a startup, it's showing some promise.
Leslie Bates/ 31: "THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT ISN'T BAD. IT COULD BE BETTER, BUT LIKE I SAY, STARTUPS TAKE TIME AND A PROFIT DOESN'T START UP FOR SEVERAL QUARTERS. SO I'M JUST GOING TO KEEP ON GOING."
It's not just women who are making the effort, two men recently hosted a party in Draper to bring singles together from all over the country.
Jeff Cook/ 30: "IT'S AN ACT OF DESPERATION. WE'RE GOING ON 31 AND UNMARRIED."
Most agree there's no magic formula to speed up the "happily ever after," but some find truth in at least one fairy tale.
AMANDA BARUSCH: "IT'S JUST, YOU HAVE TO KISS A FEW FROGS. AND IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO KISS A FEW FROGS, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIND YOUR PRINCE."
