AS FREEFORM PREMIERES 'BEN & LAUREN: HAPPILY EVER AFTER?,' NETWORK RELEASES RESULTS OF IN-DEPTH CONSUMER INSIGHT STUDY ON YOUNG ADULTS AND DATING

A LOOK AT MODERN RELATIONSHIPS AND WHAT IT MEANS TO HOOK UP AND CATCH FEELINGS

As Freeform premieres the new reality series "Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?" with Ben Higgins and his fiancée Lauren Bushnell from season 20 of ABC's "The Bachelor," the network also releases results from its latest consumer insight study on young adults and dating. The study examined young adults and their attitudes and behaviors toward dating, what modern relationships look like, how young adults define "hooking up" and what it means to "catch feelings."

"Consumer insights are key to understanding both audience behavior and client needs. Our goal is to help our clients reach their consumers and we are excited to release our second BIG (Becomer Insight Group) insights study. We look forward to continuing our research and staying close to young adults," said Laura Nathanson, executive vice president, National Sales, Freeform.

"Freeform has set out to become a leading source of information about its young adult audience and since not everyone can meet the 'love of their life' on a television show it made sense that we uncover the real 'feels' behind dating, sex, love and marriage today," said Jane Gould, senior vice president, Consumer Insights, DCWW and Freeform. "We left no dating app unswiped as part of our mission to maintain a 360 understanding of our audience."

We partnered with Kantar Futures to conduct ethnographic interviews with couples and singles in the U.S. and fielded a survey among 2,000 14 - 34-year-olds. Key trends emerged:

It's a "choose your own adventure culture." Beyond the "hookup culture" that has become synonymous with this generation, when it comes to sex, love and dating, it's really all about choice. Young adults are experimenting with a wide variety of sexual experiences. Thanks to online dating, they have access to a seemingly endless selection of potential partners who can fulfill any number of relationship goals from a one-time hookup to finding a future partner.

Tall, dark, handsome and 15 feet away. The online dating game is impacting social interaction, with 36% of young adults saying it's now more acceptable to go on Tinder in a bar than approach someone you find attractive and actually talk to them.

Single life is liberating. The average age of first-time marriages continues to climb. Young adult women, in particular, are embracing their single status and are more likely than men to say they love being single (60%).

Putting "me" before "we." They prioritize individualism, putting their personal goals and ambitions ahead of entering committed relationships. 71% of single young adults agree they want to be established in their own careers before getting married. When they do settle down, they want to make sure it's with the right person. 79% say they'd rather wait as long as it takes to find "the one" than be in a relationship now with someone who isn't.

It's Real.com. While the image-driven superficiality of online dating still exists, young adults are increasingly strategic in how they approach potential matches online in a trend driven largely by women. In total, 68% of young adults agree that they use online dating as a tool to find meaningful connections. Women, in particular, say they are focused on finding authentic, lasting relationships online.

Hulu and commitment. Many young adults seek long-term relationships, but differentiate between being committed and getting married, and don't believe one must lead to the other. When asked to look 5-10 years in the future, 84% of young adults in a relationship say they want commitment while only 27% say they want to be on the track for marriage.

Freeform's previous consumer insight study in this series revealed key insights about how young adults see the world today and what influence looks like to them. The study uncovered key dimensions in how influence is manifesting itself among young adults, including influence as fluid, hyper-individual and visual.

You all know and love Ben Higgins and his fiancée Lauren Bushnell from season 20 of "The Bachelor" - but what happens after the final rose is handed out and normal life ensues? This new reality series will follow the happy couple as they prepare to walk down the aisle and begin their brand-new life together while navigating the real world after the splendor of "The Bachelor"'s exotic dates and fantasy suites has ended. During the show, some fan favorites from "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" will stop by to visit and share their own advice on life after the show. The show will premiere on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

The series is produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss, Martin Hilton and Jason Ehrlich will serve as the executive producers. Jack Mori is co-executive producer.

About Freeform

Part of the Disney|ABC Television Group, Freeform connects to audiences and goes beyond entertainment with bold original programming and immersive social engagement. The network delivers a unique mix of quality original and acquired series, plus fan favorite movies and the holiday events "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." The Freeform app is a service that allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on-demand access via a wide array of devices.