A new study reveals the number of American adults that have never been married has increased significantly.

A report by the Pew Research Center discovered in 2012 that one in five people age 25 and up, or some 42 million people, had never been married. It's a significant increase since 1960 when one in 10 adults in the same age group didn't get married at all.

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Researchers said there are few trends contributing to the rising number of never been married adults.

One sample shows adults getting married at an older age. The average age for women is 27 and 29 for men when settling down. Compared to 1960, it's up from 20 for women and 23 for men.

Another culprit is the popular living together setup. Americans are also uncertain about the importance of marriage.

In a poll conducted by Pew in 2013, participants were asked to identify which statements they agreed with more: "Society is better off if people make marriage and having children a priority," or "Society is just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children."

An estimated of 46 percent of the respondents agreed with the first statement while 50 percent of them chose the second statement.

Earlier in 2014, Pew conducted another survey. Half of never-been married adults said they would eventually settle down. Researchers also projected that when younger adults today reach their mid-40s and mid-50s, 25 percent of them will never get married.

Compared to women, 23 percent of men are more likely to have never been married. In 1960, 10 percent of men and 8 percent of women did not settle down at all.

Currently, men with high school education or less are 25 percent likely to have been married compare to men who received advance degrees with 14 percent.

Women across all education levels are likely to have been married, however.

Additionally, all racial and ethnic groups experienced an increased of percentage of adults that have never been married.

TagsNever-Married Record, Americans marriage record