Four in ten Hong Kongers have used internet dating
Nearly half of millennials have used an internet dating service or app at some point – while Tinder is the highest scoring service in both fame and respectability
One of the founding ideas of the internet was its potential to eradicate isolation, and yet some people claim it has achieved the opposite. In terms of romance the story is more promising – it might never have been easier to find a date, and as social stigma around internet dating fades there's every reason to believe the trend will continue.
48% of Hong Kongers know at least one couple who met online
New YouGov research reveals the scale of the phenomenon in Hong Kong. As many as four in ten (41%) have used internet and online dating apps. This rises to nearly half (46%) among millennials.
Yet seven in ten (68%) Hong Kongers also say they would be embarrassed to admit that they had met their partner through online dating/apps. However, the same proportion say they would not think of a couple that met online any differently.
48% of Hong Kongers also know of couples who have met online, though this is more likely among millennials than baby boomers. 53% of millennials know at least one couple who met online, compared to only 33% of baby boomers.
Skout and Happn are seen as the least respectable online dating services
Tinder, a mobile dating app that allows people to connect if they have both swiped right on each others' profile, has become so popular 'the Tinder generation' is now a phrase. Its popularity in Hong Kong is palpable, as it holds the highest scores of all dating services polled in both fame and respectability.
Other dating apps such as Skout and Happn score considerably less well on reputation, receiving scores of just -2.
Services such as Match.com and Lovestruck, pitched at long-term relationship seekers rather than hook-ups, have the best reputations after Tinder for respectability – and they're also among the most widely-known.
Online dating is worth US$5 million in Hong Kong alone, and Tinder boasts 26 million matches a day. However, 42% of Hong Kong love-seekers would still prefer to meet their future partner offline, suggesting that internet dating services still have a long way to go before they can fully shake off their stigma.
*Data was collected online between 11 and 28 September 2017 using YouGov’s panel of over 5 million people worldwide. It was weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: 1,013
Photo source: Getty Image / Zerbor