Pandemic boosts global online dating market by 7%
Many people flirted with online dating for the first time during the era of social distancing and lockdowns. But as we navigate the post-pandemic world, have those singles reverted to old analogue habits – or has digital dating retained an allure?
According to a recent YouGov survey, one in fifteen global consumers who started up online dating during the pandemic say they have continued post lockdown (7%). Although this might not seem as prevalent as other activities, like online shopping (37%) or entertainment streaming (39%), it still holds a significant niche.
Looking into age demographics, it's not surprising to find that younger age groups are more inclined to continue dating online. Over one in ten global consumers aged 18-24 (12%) and 25-34 (11%) say they have continued online dating, having started it during the pandemic. The participation declines slightly among adults aged 35-44 (8%), and this downward trend continues as age increases.
Online dating habits exhibit considerable variances across markets. In Asian countries, a strong preference for continued digital dating is evident among those who began it during the pandemic. Leading the pack is the UAE (14%), closely followed by China (13%) and India (13%). Approximately one in ten consumers from Hong Kong and Indonesia (11% and 10%, respectively) say that they have continued to date online, having started during pandemic lockdowns. In comparison to other Asian markets, Singaporean consumers are the least likely to say they have continued to date online (4%).
Europe, meanwhile, presents a diverse landscape for remote dating. Spanish consumers are the most likely to continue dating online compared to other European markets (8%). They are closely followed by those in Sweden (7%) and Poland (6%). Consumers in France (5%), Denmark (5%), and Germany (4%) are less likely to say so. Italian and British consumers are the least likely to continue online dating, with only 3% in each market indicating that they are doing so. This suggests a potential return to traditional dating methods in the post-pandemic world within these markets for some of these people.
In North America, the participation rates differ. In the US, only 3% of consumers are continuing to date online, but in Canada, this proportion doubles (6%). The percentage increases slightly further when we move south to Mexico, where just under one-tenth of consumers (8%) report that they are likely to continue dating online post- lockdown.
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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 512 and 2,007 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in March 2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
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