97 Surprising Online Dating Statistics & Trends For 2023

For their study, the researchers used data from the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Survey, conducted in 2019. This survey included a nationally representative sample of 4,860 adults in the United States, with a focus on online dating behavior. For this particular study, the researchers selected participants who were either married or in committed, non-marital romantic relationships.

The versatility of these platforms allows users to find a partner online, whether they’re looking for a long-term relationship or a short-term fling. Despite the ubiquity of dating apps, studies show only a minority of couples actually meet through them. In a recent global analysis covering 17 countries, just 8–13% of heterosexual couples report meeting via dating apps, compared to about 24% of lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) couples. So, roughly 1 in 10 straight couples and 1 in 4 same-sex couples owe their relationship to an app. The rest met through traditional means like friends, work, school, or other social venues.

The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. Honest reviews and comparison of the top relationship apps for couples who want to grow together. All statistics on this page are sourced from published research and public company filings. Ghosting — ending communication without explanation — has become one of the defining behaviors of app-based dating. According to BankMyCell research, approximately 74% of daters have been ghosted at least once.

These figures shed some light on the overall effectiveness in the eyes of people who use dating platforms. However, since people use these apps for different reasons (casual dating, committed relationships, friendships, etc.), the more detailed answer comes down to the individual. One report mentions that there could be more than 8,000 online dating platforms globally.

Public attitudes about the impact or success of online dating differ between those who have used dating platforms and those who have not. While 29% of online dating users say dating sites and apps have had a mostly positive effect on dating and relationships, that share is 21% among non-users. People who have ever used a dating site or app also have a more positive assessment of relationships forged online. Some 62% of online daters believe relationships where people first met through a dating site or app are just as successful as those that began in person, compared with 52% of those who never online dated. Pew Research Center has long studied the changing nature of romantic relationships and the role of digital technology in how people meet potential partners and navigate web-based dating platforms. This particular report focuses on the patterns, experiences and attitudes related to online dating in America.

What’s New With You? What Americans Talk About With Family And Friends

The survey also asked online daters about their experiences with getting messages from people they were interested in. In a similar pattern, these users are more likely to report receiving too few rather than too many of these messages (54% vs. 13%). For example, 61% of men who have online dated in the past five years say they did not receive enough messages from people they were interested in, compared with 44% of women who say this. However, 40% of those asked in this statistics study asked said that they did not know anyone who had successfully met a partner through a dating site or app.

All sample drawn for this study were SSRS Opinion Panelists who are U.S. adults ages 18 or older. Sample was selected to ensure representation by age, gender, race and ethnicity, education, Census region, and party identification. Possible sources of non-sampling error include non-response bias, as well as question wording and ordering effects.

For example, 59% of Americans ages 65 and older say meeting someone this way is not safe, compared with 51% of those ages 50 to 64 and 39% among adults under the age of 50. Those who have a high school education or less are especially likely to say that dating sites and apps are not a safe way to meet people, compared with those who have some college experience or who have at bachelor’s or advanced degree. These patterns are consistent regardless of each group’s own personal experience with using dating sites or apps. Other incidents highlight how dating sites or apps can become a venue for bothersome or harassing behavior – especially for women under the age of 35. The statistics behind the success rate of online dating around vary slightly according to the studies you look at. Plus, some studies can be skewed by what type of users are asked and what those users say about their experiences.

• That’s a huge section of our society that makes use of the internet to find someone to start a relationship with.
• These emotions highlight the highs and lows of finding love in the digital age.
• At the same time, a small share of U.S. adults report that they found a significant other through online dating platforms.
• In addition, 37% of current users are aged and 38% are aged 30-49; 19% are aged and only 6% are aged 65 or over.
• Women are more likely than men to say these checks should be required, as are adults 50 and older compared with younger adults.

In fact, the degree to which they knew the other person mattered less in how they felt about the relationship compared to the degree to which they felt they were known, regardless of how they felt about the overall quality of the relationship. Match Group invested $60 million in an AI product overhaul centered on a feature called Chemistry, which pairs users based on behavioral signals rather than surface-level profile data. Hinge introduced an AI recommendation engine in late 2025 that the company says resulted in a 15% increase in matches and contact exchanges. Expect AI to play an increasingly central role in both matchmaking and conversation facilitation.

Have you ever gone to the grocery store when you’re really hungry and ended up grabbing everything in sight? Similarly, if you’re feeling sad, lonely, or hopeless, it’s going to be difficult to make decisions that are aligned with your best interest. You may be more likely to overlook red flags or swipe right on profiles that clearly include a dealbreaker because of how you’re feeling. “Online dating is far from perfect, and I think a lot of people get so burnt out with the process that they start to question if it actually works for anyone,” Sharabi said. “So I hope that people who are feeling this way can take comfort in these success stories and in knowing that some people really do find love in online dating.

Far fewer (22%) say it has made the search for a long-term partner or spouse harder. Men are somewhat more likely than women to have tried online dating (34% vs. 27%), as are those with at least some college education when compared with those with a high school education or less. Those findings could be instructive for someone trying to make themselves as appealing as possible on a dating site. “What they want to be doing is saying, ‘I really care about you, and I’m going to get to know you and be there for you and listen to you and be a great partner,” Schroeder says.

Similarly, a Pew Research Center survey in the U.S. found that only 10% of partnered adults say they met their current significant other through an online dating platform. The rise in the number of online dating users is evident with the surge in those signing up for online dating services. These platforms, ranging from dating websites to mobile apps, cater to a diverse range of preferences and demographics.

Bumble, while popular, has recently reported declining revenue and user engagement. Niche apps like Grindr continue to thrive within loyal communities but remain smaller in overall market share. These trends show the industry is diversifying, with different apps appealing to different user needs.

The study showed that women tended to use more positive words when communicating with more desirable partners, whereas men tended to play it cool, showing a slight decrease in positive words. Generally, most people received a handful of replies at best, but a few people received many more. One woman in the study was bombarded with a new message every half hour, from over 1,500 different people in the month long study. In this new report, scientists used a Google-inspired algorithm to understand the desires of people wanting to match up.

In one of our first graphs above, we can see that 55% of all people who say they have ever used a dating site or app are not straight. This could be https://dailyemerald.com/185640/promotedposts/full-cupidfeel-review/ because it still remains easier to find other members of the LGB community online, so this could be set to change with more and more people far more open about their sexuality. Previous research has shown that when people are able to spend proper time together, their characters become far more important than the superficial information that they receive on a dating app. Among those who have ever used an online dating site or app, 46% say they have used Tinder, making it the most-often used of a list of sites/apps, followed by Plenty of Fish (33%), Match (29%) Bumble (26%), and eHarmony (22%).

Ai-powered Matching And Conversations

Perhaps one of the less thought-about online dating statistics is how to stay safe while dating online. Yet, it is incredibly important for us all to do this so that when we meet someone, we know we are going to meet someone who has been telling us the truth. While some people may tell the odd white lie about their height or other parts of their appearance, some people lie about their true intentions of being on a dating site in the first place. Their intentions may not be honorable, and it is those users that you have to protect yourself against.

These findings are part of an SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus poll conducted January 5–7 and 19-21, 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 2,011 adults aged 18 and older. New research from SSRS finds that 37% of U.S. adults have used an online dating site or app at some time in their lives, and that 7% are currently using an online dating site or app. As a result, questions regarding online dating habits and the effectiveness of these platforms are common. One core challenge dating services face is aligning their business model with user success. If an app succeeds in finding you “the one,” you leave, which is bad for recurring revenue.

This page compiles the most important dating app statistics from authoritative sources including Pew Research Center, Business of Apps, Sensor Tower, Match Group earnings reports, and the Federal Trade Commission. Every statistic links back to its original source so you can verify it yourself. Do not focus exclusively on one match or spend endless amounts of time talking to someone before meeting up. If you spend a lot of time talking to one match before meeting up, you may be more susceptible to getting prematurely attached and overlooking red flags, especially if you are feeling excited about this person and the future potential. Observe when you may be focusing on someone’s potential and bring yourself back to the present.

Looking at the statistics, the biggest proportion of users that lie on their profiles tend to be those in their late 30s to mid-40s. They say that they do this for fun, though it is not clear what they lie about to get their kicks from. More and more are using online dating to find their match, and this number is growing every year. In this article, we’ll be looking at the statistics that make up the mysterious world of online dating. Of course, making contact with dates online is only the first step in courtship.

When looking at sexual orientation, lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) adults are more likely than their straight counterparts to say they have ever used a dating site or app (51% vs. 28%). And what we found is that in almost every profile, people would say something that is relevant to their wanting to be known. So they might say, like I’m looking for someone who will listen to me or support me and they’ll write something that relates to that.

In summary, for married couples, online dating was linked to less relationship success unless the couple actively discussed their relationship on social media. For non-married couples, discussing their relationship online appeared to enhance the positive effects of online dating, leading to greater success compared to offline relationships. Meeting through online dating was actually linked to higher relationship success, but only for those who talked about their relationship on social media. For non-married couples who did not share their relationship online, there was no significant difference in success between those who met online and those who met offline. Instead, consider using a dating app or website during times when you have more energy and are excited about talking to and meeting new people.

Some 57% of Americans who have ever used a dating site or app say their own personal experiences with these platforms have been very or somewhat positive. Still, about four-in-ten online daters (42%) describe their personal experience with dating sites or apps as at least somewhat negative. There are many reasons that people prefer online dating to rely on friends to set them up with a potential partner or simply meet in a bar or club. Many users say that many online websites and apps simply connect them with other single people in a far more efficient process than leaving it to find a mate down more traditional routes.

Women are significantly more likely than men (48% to 30%) to believe it is not too/not at all safe. There are more than 350 million dating app or site users globally, according to data collected by Business of Apps. Tinder itself estimates that there are around 50 million people using the app on a monthly basis across 190 countries. These statistics shed light on various aspects of online dating, including the positives, the negatives and even the downright terrifying, as well as how the industry is developing and changing. Bumble, for instance, added features for defining what you’re looking for, so users can indicate if they want a relationship or something casual.

However, as the online dating statistics in this guide indicate, the industry is far less simple. The stats we found make for fascinating reading, so don’t swipe left on us. The statistics about dating apps show an industry that’s vastly successful in scale, yet coming to grips with plateauing engagement and user fatigue.

How Do Relationships That Start Online Fare?

There are substantial gender differences in the amount of attention online daters say they received on dating sites or apps. Men who have online dated in the past five years are far more likely than women to feel as if they did not get enough messages (57% vs. 24%). On the other hand, women who have online dated in this time period are five times as likely as men to think they were sent too many messages (30% vs. 6%).

13% of people who have online dating share such details, while only 3% who have never used a dating site have suffered the same mishap. For example, 12% of people who don’t use online dating have been infected with a virus online or with malware. This increases to a massive 29% when someone has continued to contact dates through an online dating site or app.

Here in this article, we look at online dating statistics and what users say about their success with using online dating sites to help their love lives. We have compiled over 97 different facts and statistics about online dating. Online dating can feel a bit overwhelming or alien at first, but it’s a great way to meet new people!

Those who have ever used a dating site or app are less likely to say companies should require background checks in order to be on the apps compared with those who have not used the platforms (47% vs. 65%). Some 55% of current or recent users say they have at least sometimes been insecure because of the lack of messages they have received in the past year, with this feeling far more common among men than women (64% vs. 40%). On the flip side, 36% of these current or recent users say they are overwhelmed by the number of messages at least sometimes, and this is far more common among women than men (54% vs. 25%). Even so, Americans overall have divided views on some aspects of online dating.

Take some time to evaluate where in the dating process you may be experiencing some energy leaks and how you can recharge. For example, a lot of people tend to scroll through dating apps all day long, which can feel tiring. Others feel drained because they are pushing themselves to go on a certain number of dates per week, which can start to make dating feel like a job. Some other common complaints online daters have include matches who don’t ask them out after a certain amount of time, don’t respond to a message for long periods of time, or don’t ask them any questions.