Couples Use Dating Apps to Find Long-Term Relationships, Study Finds

Dating apps have been blamed for the so-called “dating apocalypse” – the idea that singles prefer to mindlessly swipe instead of trying to form a long-term relationship with someone who interests them. But according to a new study, the opposite is true – people are turning to dating apps to find long-term relationships.

Researchers from Switzerland’s University of Geneva (UNIGE) studied survey data from 3,235 of the country’s adults aged 18 and over who were in a relationship and had met their partner in the last ten years, and found that those who had met over a dating app were more likely to live together than others, indicating a higher level of commitment.

Women who met their partner over a dating app were also more likely to want a child within the next three years compared to those who met their partners offline, showing that dating app users approached the dating process with greater commitment. In addition, those couples who met over apps were just as happy and satisfied in their relationships as those who hadn’t, according to a report by CNN.

“We actually find that in certain ways couples that met through dating apps have even stronger long-term family formation or relationship intentions than other couples that met either offline or through other digital ways of meeting,” Dr. Gina Potarca, author of the research from the University of Geneva, told The Guardian.

COVID has certainly had an impact on the dating app industry, with more people joining and getting serious about finding someone special rather than swiping through profiles for fun or to find a hook-up. But this new study suggests the growing number of people looking for long-term relationships on dating apps began before the pandemic, and specifically that those meeting their partner through dating apps rose dramatically over time.

Researchers from other areas pointed out that this study was limited to Swiss residents and heterosexuals, rather than a more expanded and inclusive study, which might have impacted the results. The Guardian interviewed Dr. Kathryn Coduto, a dating app expert and assistant professor of communication and media studies at South Dakota State University, who said “there might be biases in who is answering the survey and how,” but she also noted that there is evidence from other studies that people are using dating apps for serious searches.

“It’s easy to read this study and think that all of these people got online, matched with their partner, and were done and ready to have children or at least move in together,” Dr. Coduto told The Guardian. “My guess is that it was much more of a slog than that, so it would be insightful to know what that process was like.”