Scroll, Swipe, Settle down: Which dating app’s best for Aussies looking for a fling vs life partner?

Earlier this year, the Australian Government launched ‘Beforeplay’, a nine-week campaign to promote regular testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STI) among young people. Notably, the national drive was broadcasted not just across OOH and online media spots, but also saw placements on dating apps like Tinder and Grindr – underscoring the reach of these networks among Aussies looking for love.

But which dating apps are most popular in Australia? And do the kind of romantic relationships that Aussies look for – from finding a spouse to hooking up for a casual fling – significantly vary between platforms?

In Part 1 of our three-part study on Dating app usage in Australia: Popularity, Concerns, Aspirations, we examine the prevalence of these apps across demographic lines, identify Australia’s most popular dating apps, and compare how users of different dating apps vary in the kinds of relationships they seek.

What proportion of Aussies have ever used a dating app?

Latest research from YouGov Surveys reveals that three in ten (30%) Australian residents have used one or more dating apps , with men being more likely than women to indicate having done so.

Across generations, Millennials are the only cohort where more than half indicate having used dating apps before – compared to over a third of Gen Z, a quarter of Gen X, and a tenth of Baby Boomers.

Which states in Australia are dating apps most popular?

Across states, Victoria has the largest proportion of residents who have used dating apps at close to two in five, compared to around three in ten residents of New South Wales and Western Australia, and a quarter of Queensland residents.

What are the most used dating apps in Australia?

Among Aussies who have used dating apps before, almost two in three (64%) have used Match Group’s Tinder, making it by far the most popular dating app.

Bumble, used by a third (33%) of dating app users in Australia, is the second most popular option.

Around a fifth have been or are on Hinge (21%) – also owned by Match Group – and eHarmony (20%), which take the third and fourth spots.

What kind of relationships are Aussies on various dating apps looking for?

We also asked dating app users about the kind of relationships they were seeking to find – on each platform they indicated ever using.

Among the top four most used dating apps, Hinge had the largest proportion of “serious daters” who hoped to find an exclusive relationship (71%) or spouse/life partner (53%) on the app. But across all major dating apps, Happn and OkCupid had the largest share of such users.

On Bumble and eHarmony, serious “serious daters” keen on finding an exclusive relationship also made up the largest category of users (60% and 65% respectively), but a far smaller portion of them hope to find someone they can tie the knot or couple for life with (46% and 45% respectively).

In contrast, Tinder had the smallest proportion of “serious daters” looking for an exclusive relationship (47%) or spouse/life partner (36%) among the top four most used dating apps, while Grindr had the smallest share of such users overall (33% and 36% respectively).

What’s the most popular app for a hookup or fling?

“Casual daters” who are looking for a dalliance or hookup (56%) make up the largest category of Tinder (56%) and Grindr (78%) users. More than half of Coffee Meets Bagel (66%) and OkCupid (53%) users are also looking for a casual fling.

Meanwhile, “social daters” who are simply looking to meet new friends (61%) make up the largest category of Coffee Meets Bagel users (71%), and over half of Happn (55%) and OkCupid (53%) users

Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online in January 2024, with a national sample of 1,029 Australian residents, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender, and region to be representative of all adults in Australia (18 years or older) and reflect the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) population estimates. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.

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