Statistics

Look at the success of MTV’s Catfish, OkCupid’s omnipresent DTF advertising campaign, and the launch of Tinder-branded candles, and it’s clear online dating has become an indelible part of modern life. Dating platforms have changed the way we meet, the way we speak, the way we entertain ourselves and the way we perceive ourselves.

Recent research from sociologists Michael Rosenfeld and Sonia Hausen of Stanford University and Reuben Thomas of the University of New Mexico reveals the immense influence online dating now wields. According to the study, online dating has become the most popular way for heterosexual couples in the United States to meet. Data from 2009 showed that the percentage of heterosexual couples who met online rose from 0 percent in 1995 to about 22 percent in 2009. Today, that number is closer to 39 percent.

The first date can be a tense moment no matter who you’re seeing, but when you’re meeting a stranger you’ve only communicated with through a dating platform, the stakes are even higher.

So you examine their photos for evidence of editing. You comb through their profile looking for signs they might not be who they say they are. And when that’s not enough, you take your detective powers elsewhere. Some call it stalking, others call it pre-date research - either way, a lot of us are doing it.

Risk mitigation specialists JPD surveyed 2,000 Americans to find out exactly how, and how often, singles investigate prospective mates. According to JPD’s findings, 77 percent of active daters research matches on a regular basis. Of those who do, most spend 15 to 30 minutes conducting their investigations. Some admit to spending 45 minutes or more on research before a date. Only 11 percent said they never research dates at all.

Sunday January 6^th is the busiest day of online dating’s high season, with many people downloading apps and swiping right, hoping to find love in the cold winter months, also known as “cuffing season.”

More people are also motivated to find love thanks to New Year’s resolutions (and the cold weather). With the holidays behind us, January is the perfect time to adopt new habits, including trying a new dating app or rejoining one you’ve used before.

Research has shown over the years that the first Sunday of January is generally the best time to download a dating app and start swiping. Most apps have reported a surge in activity on this particular day, as well as generally increased activity during the month of January through February 14^th.

I've been working on updating the Match review for 2019 (last major update was in 2017) and I stumbled on a statistics page Match put up for their dating service. On it they explain the breakdown of their members by age along with a few other interesting facts. I also found an article on Seeking Alpha which talks about Match Group (who owns Match.com) and what makes it an attractive buy at the moment for investors. Let’s summarize the more thought provoking of these stats.

Bumble made headlines this year when it announced plans for an expansion into India. Though the Indian market is large and tech-savvy, western dating apps have struggled to find a foothold. India’s traditional approach to courtship has raised concerns about whether online dating has a place in a society with a history of arranged marriages, class divides, and parental oversight of relationships.

A recent survey by Indian dating app Woo reveals the ways centuries of conservative values continue to affect singles in the country. According to the data, the gender divide on dating apps is immense. Only 26 percent of users are female, while 74 percent are male - in other words, there are nearly three times as many men as women on online dating platforms in India.

For comparison, women are slightly more than 40 percent of the user base on dating apps like Bumble and Tinder in the United States. Users in the US also differ from users in India in their reasons for joining dating services. Many Americans are comfortable openly using dating platforms for hookups and casual dating, but in India, dating app users say they have more serious goals.

Image: Tinder

Tinder released a new report this December called “Year in Swipe,” where the popular dating app revealed the best time to log into the app and other insights to help improve your dating game.

Searching through its troves of data to find interesting trends among users, Tinder found that the best day to be on the app is Monday. The best time is also in the evening – 6:00pm for those in California and the West Coast, and 9:00pm for East Coast residents. The study noted that August was the best month of the year for activity, but any Monday night you’re likely to see a spike in users, so it’s good to take advantage and log in.

Tinder examined other high-traffic times on the app, noting specific events over the past year where more people were swiping and logging in. Big surprise - the Superbowl turned out to be the most popular event of the year for Tinder as well as American football fans.