Dating Apps Offer Vaccine Stickers for UK Singles
Contributed by: kellyseal on Monday, June 21 2021 @ 09:13 am
Last modified on Monday, June 21 2021 @ 09:31 am
Dating apps are offering vaccine stickers for user profiles in the U.K., so potential matches can know vaccination status right away before swiping right.
Tinder is offering an array of stickers, including “Vaccinated” and “Vaxing soon,” according to a report from BBC News[*1] . Tinder, Match, Hinge, Bumble, Badoo, Plenty of Fish, OurTime and Muzmatch will all be offering badge options for users to add to their profiles, in partnership with a vaccine push by the U.K. government.
The vaccination badge trend began for U.S. dating app users, thanks to a government initiative to get as many people vaccinated as possible. The Biden administration pursued a partnership with dating apps, hoping they would be a good way to reach out to younger people and give them an incentive to get the vaccine – i.e., they can brag that they did and potentially attract more matches.
Dating apps like Tinder, OkCupid and Bumble rushed to offer incentives for their U.S. users to get vaccinated, such as free special features and virtual credits for those who opt to display the vaccination badge. Now they are offering special perks to U.K. users, too. On Tinder, U.K. users will receive a free “Super Like” for adding a vaccination sticker to their profile, and Hinge will offer a free “Rose” to give a potential match. Bumble will offer discounts on premium features as well, according to CNN.
The vaccine rollout in the U.K. is still behind that in the U.S. In England, people aged 25 and up are eligible for the vaccine, but not younger people yet (compared to the U.S. where ages twelve and up can get vaccinated). However, in Northern Ireland and Wales, it is open to everyone over 18 years of age. The U.K. government estimates around 40 million people are at least partially vaccinated so far.
A poll conducted by YouGov of almost 5,000 adults in the U.K. found that 28 percent of respondents said they would not date someone who was unvaccinated, compared to only 2 percent who said they would not date someone who was vaccinated. Still, it seems to be a hurdle to incentivizing daters to get vaccinated, as the majority of respondents seem to be fine with dating people who aren’t vaccinated.
Tinder noted that it has seen an 800 percent increase in mentions of the word “vaccine” among its users since the beginning of the pandemic, noting how interested singles are in the subject. OkCupid has said that its users who are vaccinated or plan to get vaccinated receive 14 percent more matches than those who don’t. There has not been a similar data report on UK users.
An issue with offering the vaccination badges among privacy and safety experts is that they cannot be verified, so users can lie about their vaccination status. Still, vaccination badges on dating apps seem to be a good incentive for those who are eager to date in person again.