You’re Most Likely to Use Online Dating Apps At This Age
Spoiler alert: Online dating isn’t going anywhere. Whether you’re on Hinge, Tinder, Bumble, the League or OkCupid, the modern, tech-inspired way of dating is only gaining in popularity. And it’s not just our friend group’s involvement that’s making us feel this way. According to a new study by Pew Research Center, more Americans are dating online than ever before.
Pew Reasearch Center surveyed 2,001 adults between the ages of 18 and 65+ to discover both who is using online dating and how they’re using it. Their first finding may not come as a huge shock: 22 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds admit to using mobile dating apps in their daily lives. That’s a pretty major increase considering only five percent of people in this age group reported to using it in 2013. So what does this new number actually mean? Basically, about one in five of your college-aged pals are using dating apps today.
While this group is present and active in the online dating world, they understandably have both positive and negative thoughts about the new trend. We’ll dish out the good thoughts they have first: 80 percent of Americans agree that online dating is a good way to meet people. 62 percent agree that online dating allows find and make more meaningful connections and 61 percent believe that online dating is easier and more efficient than other ways of meeting people (because duh, all you have to do is swipe).
And now onto the dreaded downsides: 45 percent of online daters feel that this method of meeting people is more dangerous than organically meeting someone IRL. Additionally, 31 percent say that the rise of popularity in online dating keeps people from actually settling down because someone new is only a swipe away.
Interestingly enough, only 16 percent of the users Pew Research Center surveyed agree with the statement “people who use online dating sites are desperate.” So, you’d best work on refining that perfect opening line because it looks like online dating is here to stay.
What dating app do you use most? Share with us on Twitter @britandco.
(Photos via Getty)
