Some BYU students interviewed said they got burned out on dating. "And dating before your mission is wasting money on someone else's wife," Erickson said, quoting a friend's FaceBook page.

The students interviewed said church leaders encourage them to date — and so they are.

Abamonte said his mission president encouraged the returned missionaries to get married as soon as possible "because he didn't want us breaking the law of chastity."

But Abamonte said he hasn't had a date since he returned from his mission two months ago. "Getting married is a big responsibility," he said, adding he plans to graduate before finding a spouse.

Chadwick said more BYU students are following the national trend and delaying marriage until after college.

"The tragedy of that is the lost opportunity," Chadwick said. "There are 15,000 members of the opposite sex at BYU who embody all the traits you have on your list."

If the graduate moves to an area that doesn't have a high number of LDS people, "the pickings are a whole lot slimmer," Chadwick said.

BYU students list religiosity/spirituality as the No. 1 trait desired in a spouse, while most college students put that at the very bottom of their list.

Chadwick's study can be found in the December issue of BYU Studies, Vol. 46, No. 3. For information, go to http: byustudies.byu.edu/.

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E-mail: astewart@desnews.com