77% of Americans claim that they will stick with dating apps to meet new partners in the post-COVID-19 era
The COVID-19 era may have made people wary of getting on real-life dates, but the truth is that dating apps like Bumble & Tinder have used lockdowns as an opportunity to help people enrich their virtual love lives. Dating apps are perceived in a more positive way nowadays, compared to a few years ago. In the past, admitting that you met your partner on a dating app could have been a source of embarrassment, but today if you are single and not using a dating app then you are probably the odd one.
The rapid growth of dating apps’ user-base globally over the past years indicates that the dating scene was already on the rise and COVID-19 just accelerated that trend. Lockdowns and remote work that became suddenly part of the lives of Americans made it more difficult for people to socialize or get out and meet new people. During self-isolation, a lot of people started heavily using dating apps, as the only way to meet new people or having someone to chat with, while under lockdown.
At Pollfish we surveyed 1,000 dating app users in the US, on their view around this topic. The results were quite interesting and can be found here.
Tinder is the most popular dating app in the States, with Bumble and Mingle to follow
Dating apps have been a major part of Americans’ lives even prior to the lockdowns. In the survey results, we can see that 7 out of 10 Americans stated that they were already using a dating app even before the COVID-19 era.
While the user base and usage of dating apps have grown over the COVID-19 period the question remains on how many people will stick to those apps as the main way to date or socialize in the post-COVID-19 era. Based on the survey results 7 out of 10 Americans will continue to use dating apps even after the pandemic’s end.
Bumble, Tinder & Badoo may provide different features, but at the end of the day the main drive for using those apps is the same. Based on the survey results, 55.2% of the respondents use dating apps just to socialize, 54.5% use them just for curiosity and 47.9% in order to find a new partner. 44.9% answered that they use dating apps because it’s difficult to date someone outside, whereas 39.4% stated that they use dating apps just for flirting. Finally, only 19.9% of the respondents mentioned that their main drive for using dating apps was just to find a partner to have sex.
Paying in dating apps, to make the most out of them
Downloading a dating app, creating a profile, and getting out to the wild to find new people to match, seem really promising without any limitations. Dating apps have in place different limitations though, to capitalize on their usage and make revenue. Tinder for example is free for anyone to use, but with their premium subscription plans, users can increase their possibility of matching with more people. For example, with Tinder’s premium version, users can access features such as:
- Unlimited likes: Users can use an unlimited number of likes.
- Εxtra super likes: Users have five super likes instead of one when they swipe up. It notifies the ‘’super liked’’ users for this special like so users can grab their attention.
- Passport: Users can change their location and swipe through people who live in different cities.
In the survey results, Americas stated that they have spent some dollars within the dating app(s) they use. 783 out of the 1,000 people surveyed have spent at least a few dollars within a dating app within the last year. The majority of Americans spend usually within a year on average, $50-$100 in order to access premium features in their favorite dating app.
While some people might think that it’s unreasonable to spend money for matching with people online, the survey has shown that there are many different reasons why users do that. The primary reason with 51.05% was the access to more features.
6 out of 10 Americans believe that dating apps have an important role in their life
Many people downloaded and used different apps during lockdown and self-isolation but which of these apps have made an impact on their daily routine? It seems that dating apps are one of the apps that play an important role in their life over the Covid-19 era, with 6 out of 10 Americans considering dating apps as such.
Looking deeper into the usage of dating apps on a daily basis, the majority of the respondents (55.3%) use dating apps 1-2 times a day during the COVID-19 era, whereas a small percentage of people use them more times within a day, 3-5 times a day (26.2%) and 5+ times a day (12.3%).
Are dating apps here to stay?
A few years ago, people were reluctant to share with their friends that they met their new partner on a dating app but lately, this has become a norm and the COVID-19 era has accelerated that a lot). Dating apps’ usage is on the rise, but will this trend remain the same in the post-COVID-19 era?
7 out of 10 Americans (77.10%) believe that in the future, people will be mainly using dating apps in order to connect and meet with others.
In conclusion, the Covid-19 era has changed much on how we work, live & interact with each other and many of those habits will remain even after the pandemic goes away. Apps like Tinder & Bumble will continue to have a protagonistic role not only in the top charts of Google Play & App Store but also in how people will be keen to meet new partners.
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