Half of millennials have used an internet dating service or app at some point – while eHarmony 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.
53% of Aussies know at least one couple who met online
New YouGov research reveals the scale of the phenomenon in Australia. As many as a third (35%) of Aussies have used internet and online dating apps. This rises to half among millennials.
Yet the same proportion (53%) of millennials also say they would be embarrassed to admit that they had met their partner through online dating/apps. A quarter of baby boomers say the same. However, three-quarters (74%) of Aussies say they would not think of a couple that met online any differently.
53% know at least one couple who have met this way. This rises to 62% among millennials, and falls to 43% among baby boomers.
Tinder and Bumble 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. But among people who've used internet dating services and apps it's got a seedy reputation. Despite being known to 91% of Aussies it has a net respectability score of just +6. Bumble, a dating app that uses a similar swipe-based interface, also scored just +6. Both services are the lowest ranked for respectability of all dating services polled.
Internet services eHarmony and RSVP, pitched at long-term relationship seekers rather than hook-ups, have the best reputation for respectability – and they're also among the three most widely-known.
Online dating is worth $2.2 billion in America alone, and Tinder boasts 26 million matches a day. eHarmony claims to have married a million Americans, but it's founder is cautious about younger hook-up apps – "if the only thing you’re looking at is whether or not the person’s looks turn you on, I worry about that”, he said.
*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 Australian population. Sample size: 1,014
Photo source: Getty Image / Zerbor
