Oxford University Takes A Look At Online Love

The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) recently conducted an online survey with 12,000 couples in 18 countries to examine modern dating habits and ideology. The participants all had regular Internet access, and were asked questions about whether or not they had visited online dating sites, if they had used other online services for relationships, and where else they would consider looking for a partner. All questions related to the period of time from 1997 to 2009.

Researchers found that, although technology is generally thought of as the province of the young, middle-aged men and women (40-69) are benefitting most from online dating. After 1996, this demographic was the most likely to use online dating sites. 36% revealed that they found their current partner online, in contrast to only 23% of 18-to-40 year olds who said that they had found a relationship via the Internet. Participants in the higher age range of the study did not fare so well - only 2 began a relationship in their 70s, and neither had used the Internet to do so.

Online dating sites aren't the only way people are using the Net to find love. The Oxford team found that, for people who began their relationship in the years before 2000, less than 10% had met their partners using a social networking site. By 2005, however, that number had more than doubled (21%).

Findings like these clearly indicate that using the Internet to find a partner is not simply a fad - the Internet has fundamentally changed the way we think of dating and relationships. Dr. Bernie Hogan, a Research Fellow at the OII and a co-author of the study, believes that although "Finding your partner online was once regarded as a bit of a novelty," "this survey suggests it has become a common if not dominant way of meeting new partners, particularly if you are between 40 and 70 years old." Traditional meeting methods, like church events, family get togethers, and activities centered around shared hobbies and interests, are now showing a slight decline in popularity, as online dating site use becomes increasingly widespread.

Despite the noticeable spike in online dating, however, offline dating is far from abandoned. The majority of the sample of this study reported meeting their partners in person, using more conventional means like mutual friends (67%) or playing the field at bars and clubs (69%). Professor William Dutton, Hogan's co-author and the director of the OII, sums up the relationship between online and offline dating like this:

"When you ask the question 'How did you meet?' the most likely answer is still 'through mutual friends' or 'at a club or bar.' But this study suggests there has been a noticeable shift in dating strategies. Men and women are seeing the internet as a new place to meet...[and]...A growing number now view dating as a distinct and intentional activity with its own set of contexts and conventions. The popularity of online dating seems largely down to its accessibility and the fact that people seem comfortable disclosing what appear to be personal details in a "pseudo-anonymous" online setting."