Saving Civilization Starts with a Date

Part one of a four-part series on dating from Katy Faust

We are living through a demographic crisis experienced by every developed nation — shrinking birth rates, delayed marriage, and collapsing family formation. Politicians argue about tax credits. Economists propose housing subsidies. Governments experiment with cash bonuses and childcare programs.

None of it addresses the root problem.

This is not primarily an economic crisis. It is not a housing crisis first. It is not an education crisis. It is a relational crisis. More specifically, it is a dating crisis.

In this four-part series, I (Katy) am going to argue that the fertility collapse begins long before the first baby, before the wedding, and even before engagement.

It begins with the disappearance of dating.

In Part I, we’ll examine the data: collapsing teen dating rates, a “dating recession” among marriage-minded young adults, delayed marriage, and how family breakdown and digital life have quietly rewired an entire generation away from embodied connection.

In Part II, we’ll rebuild the pipeline. What does healthy dating actually look like? What should parents encourage in middle school, high school, and college? What practical steps can families take to lower the pressure and raise the courage needed for young men and women to pair off?

In Part III, we’ll examine what it means to evaluate a relationship wisely. How do you determine whether this is someone worthy of lifelong vows? What truly predicts durability — and what doesn’t?

And in Part IV, we’ll talk about guardrails and priorities: why worldview alignment matters, what parents must communicate to their daughters, especially, and how churches can intentionally cultivate a marriage-forming culture again.

Civilizations are not sustained by incentives. They are sustained by families. And families begin with a date. Let’s start at the beginning.