OkCupid Shares Biggest Dating Trends in 2021
Contributed by: kellyseal on Wednesday, December 16 2020 @ 12:00 pm
Last modified on Wednesday, December 16 2020 @ 12:06 pm
As we go into 2021, the pandemic and increased political engagement have shifted dating culture and the priorities of singles, according to a new study by OkCupid[*1] . The dating app found that its users are into so-called “Thunberging” and “Advo-dating,” according to Australia’s Body and Soul Magazine[*2] .
Advo-dating has come into vogue for 2021, with about 310,000 OkCupid users calling themselves activists, and even more sharing that political values are most important when choosing a match. The global protests for Black Lives Matter played an important role in placing politics front and center in new relationships, especially among young daters, who want their dates to share their values.
Thunberging is another dating term focused on political values, specifically attitudes towards climate change. The term is inspired by the Swedish teenager who sparked a movement for climate justice, most notably among young people. In fact, 85% of millennial respondents and 84% of Gen Z respondents said they are “concerned about the climate crisis,” according to the study.
"With climate change continuing to be a major talking point globally, OkCupid is finding that more and more people’s passion for the planet is becoming a steamy subject and a topic to bond over," the dating app said.
Inner-party dating has also become a trend, with a majority of 60% of OkCupid users saying they prefer their date to share their political views, and another 60% saying they couldn’t date someone who had opposite political views. Most agreed that so-called “Cross-party dating” doesn’t work in modern relationships.
Gen Z and millennial daters place a huge emphasis on politics when it comes to dating, and along with the social disruption of a global pandemic, have influenced modern dating in a relatively short period of time. A few years ago, people tended to avoid the topic of politics when they first met a date, but now, young daters want to know exactly where their dates stand before they devote any time to getting to know them. In fact, OkCupid now offers a badge that daters can place on their profile so others know where they stand politically before they swipe.
OkCupid also found that slow or intentional dating has become a trend, with eighty-four percent of respondents saying it’s more important to have an emotional connection before a physical one. Conversely, people have begun to move through the dating process a lot faster when they do form relationships because of the pandemic, as many are looking for a partner to shack up with as lockdowns continue.
People are also expanding their dating pools, with 1.5 million people open to a long-distance relationship. And 59% have found that they enjoy outdoor date adventures like hiking when getting to know someone.
The company surveyed its users from around the world, and provided results based on 450 million responses. For more information on this dating service you can read our review of OkCupid.