A third of Indonesians have used internet dating
BeeTalk and Tinder are the highest rated online dating services by Indonesians
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.
Half of Indonesians (49%) know at least one couple who met online
New YouGov research reveals the scale of the phenomenon in Indonesia. As many as a third (34%) of Indonesians have used internet and online dating apps. This rises to 36% among millennials but falls to 19% among baby boomers.
Yet more than half (55%) of millennials also say they would be embarrassed to admit that they had met their partner through online dating/apps. 37% of baby boomers say the same. However, four in ten (42%) Indonesians say they would not think of a couple that met online any differently.
Half (49%) of Indonesians know at least one couple who have met this way. While 50% of millennials know at least one couple who met online, only 38% of baby boomers do.
BeeTalk and Tinder are seen as the most respectable online dating services
It’s safe to say that online dating is now mainstream and online dating is an increasingly competitive marketplace.
BeeTalk and Tinder are the market leaders in Indonesia, achieving the highest scores for fame and respectability among respondents who have used online dating services. Overall, eight in ten (81%) online daters have heard of BeeTalk and half (51%) online daters say that it is a respectable online dating platform. Just 13% consider to be not respectable, giving it a net score of +37. Tinder score less well on fame (68% have heard of it) but comes top for respectability, boasting a net score of +39.
Indonesian Cupid also scores well, with a fame score of 64% and a respectability score of +34. At the other end of the scale, the services that are least well recognised are also seen as the least respectable. The lowest scorers in both fame and respectability include Bumble, eHarmony and Skout.
Online dating is worth $2.2 billion in America alone, and Tinder boasts 26 million matches a day. However, 42% of Indonesian 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: 2,274
Photo source: Getty Image / Zerbor