Majority of Daters Want to Meet in Person, But Remain Cautious

A new study found that 60% of daters said they want to ease back into the dating scene slowly and remain cautious as the coronavirus rages on.

The new study from Dating.com surveyed daters across the U.S. about what they wanted and expected in their romantic lives as they come out of lockdown and venture out again. Since the virus is still spreading in this country, daters remain cautious about when and under what circumstances they are willing to meet in person.

That doesn’t mean they want to keep virtual dating forever – a whopping 85% said they are excited to get back to their normal dating schedule, including meeting dating app matches in person. Despite this excitement, a majority surveyed shared that they will continue to online date because they found it to be a good way to make connections.

On the flip side, men appear to have been more impatient during COVID lockdowns, with 27% admitting to breaking restrictions to have sex, as opposed to only 11% of women who did this according to a survey by Babylon Health. The company surveyed 2,000 people about sex and dating before, during and after lockdown over several weeks.

Babylon reported that twenty-seven percent of men also admitted to breaking lockdown restrictions to meet dates in person. Interestingly, Gen X and Gen Z were the most likely demographics to break lockdown to have sex (each at 22%), as well as to go on in-person dates (22% and 21%, respectively).

Babylon also found that dating apps gave some people more confidence and allowed them to feel more connected during lockdown. Twenty-seven percent said that dating apps have helped them feel closer to people, and 21% said that dating apps helped them find love during this time. Twenty-six percent said that these apps have helped them with their confidence and to feel more desirable, compared to 18% who said they felt less desirable and less confident.

While cases in America continue to spike, hesitation remains to get back out there and date for the majority of daters, even though some decided to break lockdown.

“Currently, singles are stuck in a weird position when it comes to dating. They aren’t sure if they should continue to meet people online or take those connections offline and have an in-person date,” said Maria Sullivan, dating expert and VP of Dating.com. “At Dating.com, we found that a majority of singles are excited to begin meeting those they made a connection with in-person and we couldn’t be happier. We have also discovered that for the time being, some singles feel more comfortable sticking to online dating, and that is great too.”