Statistics

Unless you've been living in a galaxy far, far away, you know this month is all about Star Wars. The seventh installment of the sci-fi franchise will soon premiere and fans are going crazy waiting for the big day.

To pass the time until The Force Awakens hits big screens, Match.com has done a little research on single Star Wars fans around America.

It turns out the Force is especially strong with the western US. The region with the most mentions of Star Wars-related terms in their profiles was Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue in Washington. Cities in Texas, Colorado and Utah followed close behind. In the top nine, only one eastern city makes an appearance: Orlando-Kissimmee in Florida. Maybe east coast fans prefer Star Trek?

If you're a Han looking for your Leia, your best bet is to look in Colorado Springs, Colorado – the top city for single female Star Wars fans. Your next closest bets are Santa Rosa-Petaluma, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Ladies looking for a Luke-alike are most likely to find him in Orlando-Kissimmee, followed by Austin-Round Rock, Texas, and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue.

Match.com's research didn't stop there. The company also found that Star Wars fans are more educated than the non-fan population. Sixty percent earned a degree beyond a bachelor's. They also showed an increased interest in martial arts, clocking in at twice as likely to be into karate than the average Match user.

Match continued its research into religion, politics and career choices. Star Wars fans were 2.2 times as likely to be atheist, agnostic, or spiritual but not religious, and 2.7 times as likely to be liberal or very liberal. As for their professional paths, they were 3 times as likely to work in technology, 2.5 times as likely to work in a creative field and 2 times as likely to work in government.

Speakiing of Star Trek, Match compared fans of the legendary TV series to Star Wars buffs. The results? Star Trek users were better educated and made more money. Star Trek users were also more likely to hold extreme political views (both right and left), and less likely to be moderate in their political leanings. On the other hand, Star Wars users were more likely to be into sports and less into gardening, politics and religion.

Time to start practicing your Star Wars pickup lines. Put your love life into hyper drive, and you could have a date for the opening night of The Force Awakens.

For more info on the online dating service which brought us this study you can read our Match.com.

Were you wondering who the most popular members were on Match.com this past year? Or maybe you were wondering the percentage of blonde to brunette daters, or what music most matches were listening to? Whatever your question, Match.com seems to have answers in their 2015 wrap-up.

If you dwell in New York City, you might be surprised to learn that despite the hectic pace and its legendary status for casual relationships and ambitious and independent singles (thanks to tv shows like Girls and Sex and the City), New York City is the number one place where Match.com members want kids! Commitment and family in New York City is possible and a goal for a lot of daters, so lesson learned here: don’t let the stereotypes rule your life.

If on the other hand, you are looking for the jet set life and want to be with a doctor or lawyer, head to Durham, North Carolina or Washington, D.C. respectively.

It also appears that despite the tech-savvy iPhone users among us, Android users are becoming more likely to try online dating. In 2015, 29% more Android users joined Match.com vs. iPhone users.

This past year marked a big year for the LGBT community, with the Supreme Court ruling that marriage between same-sex couples was legal across the country. Plus, notable celebrity and former Olympic Champion Caitlyn Jenner came out to the world, making transgender rights a topic of discussion. In the online dating world, half a million members of the LGBT community joined Match in 2015.

Following are some additional highlights:

• Since we are in for a long year of political maneuvering in 2016, Match.com decided to see the Hilarys vs. the Donalds who signed up for online dating this past year. As it turns out, there are more Donalds who are members of Match. (We’ll see how this plays out in the elections.)
• Game of Thrones was the most-mentioned TV show on Match this year. (No big surprise – though fans of The Walking Dead will be pleased their show came in second.)
• The most-mentioned celebrities included Drake at #1, Taylor Swift, Beyonce and then the Kardashians.
• The most mentioned trendy words of 2015 were “swag” (coming in at #1), “bae” (because who doesn’t want to find their bae?), and “Netflix and chill” (to which I can relate).
• Most trending newsworthy topics discussed on Match include transgender, Donald Trump, and marijuana. 
• The most popular foods mentioned were sushi (coming in at #1), tacos and ramen. Delicious.
• Two times more brunettes joined than blondes.
• Last but not least, Match revealed its two most popular daters – Leonora from New York, NY and Gabriel from Los Angeles.

To find out more about this dating service you can read our review of Match.com. Happy dating!

Practically every business is expected to have a social media presence in 2015. When your business is a digital one, that pressure doubles. When your target audience is millennials, it triples. Dating services are all about helping people make social connections, but how socially savvy are they on their own profiles?

Digiday used proprietary data from two social media analytics firms, Unmetric and Socialbakers, to pit seven dating apps against each other in the battle for most effective social media strategy. Tinder, OkCupid, Hinge, Match.com, Zoosk, Coffee Meets Bagel and Bumble were put to the test in several different categories.

Number Of Fans

With over 13 million million Facebook likes, Zoosk has the largest social media fan base. Match and Tinder follow with over 827,000 and 369,000 fans, respectively. Twitter shows similar stats. Zoosk has the most followers by far at over 350,000. Match comes in second, with 65,000, and Tinder in third, with over 56,000.

Although Tinder currently has the smallest fan base, it's also the most rapidly growing. The game-changing dating app saw its fan base grow 228 percent between January and October 2015.

Geographical Popularity

Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, Match and Zoosk all have an international crop of users, but Tinder and Zoosk are the most diverse on social. In fact, the majority of Zoosk's Facebook fans are international.

Other services proved to be particularly popular in specific countries. Hinge is big in India, while Match is favored by Canadians and Tinder has won over Brazilian singles.

Engagement Level

Zoosk is the most prolific poster on social media. The company published 226 posts between January and October, and received the most likes and comments. Despite Zoosk's high volume, Tinder took the top spot for highest average engagement and most posts shared by fans.

Bumble is a relative newcomer to the dating world, but already it's showing promise on social. The app saw over 3,000 interactions with fans on Facebook between July and October. The numbers are expected to grow.

Number Of Fan Posts And Mentions

Match.com's users are the most likely to talk about it on Facebook. More than 9,000 messages were posted to Match's wall between January and October. Hinge and Coffee Meets Bagel come next. Neither Tinder nor OkCupid had user posts on their Facebook walls. Their page settings most likely do not allow it.

Tinder leads the number of mentions on Twitter, perhaps because Twitter's audience skews younger than Facebook and Tinder attracts a similarly youthful user base. The app is followed by Zoosk and Match.com, which come in second and third with around 8,000 and 2,000 mentions apiece.

What is love in the time of Tinder and marriage in the age of Ashley Madison? You've heard the critiques. Detractors say Tinder encourages shallow hookups at the expense of meaningful relationships. And Ashley Madison... well, we all know how well things are going for them lately.

But it's not all bad news. Despite being one of the earliest players in the online dating game, eHarmony remains one of its strongest. Founder Neil Clark Warren sat down with Bloomberg to discuss how the site remains relevant despite the increasingly competitive landscape.

Warren shared some impressive stats about eHarmony. The site boasts over 66 million users and is responsible for around 2 million marriages. It's divorce rate is only 3.86%. Its fastest growing demographic is 25-35 years old. Sixty-two percent of users now come through mobile platforms. eHarmony even saw 80,000 new users sign up in a single weekend. Clearly, growth is not an issue for the company.

As to competitors, Warren feels eHarmony has nothing to fear from services like Tinder and Ashley Madison, because they're designed for difference audiences. Tinder users tend to be young and Ashley Madison users are typically not looking for long-term relationships. eHarmony, on the other hand, primarily serves older users who looking for serious partnerships.

That's not to say eHarmony is lazy in its approach to business. The company works hard to keep up with the rapidly changing online dating market – lately, for instance, by bumping up its security measures. “We've never been so serious about security,” says Warren. “We're spending several million dollars a year to make sure our security is as solid as it can be.”

eHarmony also keeps things fresh by introducing new features. Most recently, the company has announced plans to enter the professional world with a careers platform called Elevated Careers, expected to launch by December. The aim is to apply what eHarmony has learned about playing cupid to the workplace, using algorithms and other assessment tools to match applicants with their dream jobs.

Warren notes the far reaching implications of the career matchmaking service. Today only 30% of Americans say they like their jobs. If eHarmony can successfully help users find better employment opportunities, Warren promises a revolution in America – one in which people are happier in their professional lives and, in turn, happier in their personal lives.

All in all, Warren is feeling confident about the company's future. “eHarmony has never been in better shape,” he says.

Ever wonder what dating is like in another part of the world? I'm going to assume the answer is yes, because I don't know a single person who doesn't have a weakness for a sexy foreign accent.

The problem is, dating could be a totally different experience in the land that sexy foreign accent comes from. You might think you're being cool while they think you look crazy – and unless crazy is their type, that isn't going to get you very far.

Coffee Meets Bagel has published the results of a new study on dating trends around the world, so you'll be a little less clueless during your next international love affair. CMB asked 7,441 users from around the globe about everything from their eligibility to how much they’re willing to pay on the first date. Here's what they found.

The easiest city in the world to date, if you're a man, is Hong Kong. Sydney comes in second place, followed by New York, London, Toronto, and San Francisco. If you're a woman, Sydney takes the top spot. The remainder of the top five, in order, is London, San Francisco, Toronto, New York, and Hong Kong.

It's no surprise to see New York high on the list for men. Single women outnumber men by 230,000 in NYC, according to CityLab.

Men are more likely than women to have sex on a first date, especially if they live in NYC. New York was crowed “the most adventurous city” for guys, with 66% of NYC-based male respondants saying they're up for first-date fun. At 36%, London ladies are the most likely to say yes to sex on a first date.

When it comes to eligibility, most daters don't consider themselves “extremely eligible.” San Francisco and Sydney scoreas the top spots on that front, but the numbers are low. Only 28% of SF women and 29% of Sydney men believe they're “extremely eligible.” Come on, people – where's the self-esteem?

Men in London are the most willing to drop big bucks on a first date. The gents of England's capital said they’d spend £20 to £40 on a first date. In USD, that's about $30 to $62 – not the fanciest meal of your life, but certainly not the worst. Not that any of us are immune to the charms of a Chipotle date, either.

Across the board, most daters are looking for relationships. Only 12% said they're in the market for casual hookups, while 70% said they want a relationship and 11% said they're searching for their future spouse.

And finally, no matter how much we try to deny it, looks do matter. Both men and women listed “physical attraction” as the #1 trait they look for in a match.

You can kiss SexyGirl88 goodbye. Usernames will no longer be part of the dating profile, at least on Match.com. The dating website giant has announced that it will no longer require its members to sign up with usernames, which have long been the cornerstone of the dating profile.

Since Match was created 20 years ago people have used catchy, cute, and frankly sometimes crazy usernames as a way to express themselves. But given the ubiquity of online dating coupled with the popularity of social media, the stigma of “being seen” online no longer exists. Despite the creativity usernames require and how they have playfully enhanced profiles seen by potential matches, Match feels there’s no longer a need for people to hide behind an alias.

Match decided to pay homage to the art of the username by providing some final statistics about them, gathered from its own user database. They created a list of the top 10 “most memorable” user names (making it understandable why many people won’t be sad to see them go):

• TwisDemNipples
• Hardworkingmilf
• IWantAllDaSecks
• DilettosJunkie
• SkittleFartz
• TonyPonyNY
• GlitterIsAColor21
• SPF70Always
• BigGulps32oz
• Assless_Chaps

Match also conducted a survey of its members on some of the best and worst usernames employed over the years. (Although we should note that daters could have used this kind of information when usernames were still a part of the equation.) Perhaps this information can help you with your profiles on other dating sites.

Match discovered that your given name matters. Guys named Mike (61%), Dave (60%) and Steve (59%) are the most likely to get messaged by a woman on Match, while men are more likely to contact Sarah (62%), Michelle (60%), and Lisa (59%).

Country music has always been a money-making business, and it seems that daters on Match likewise preferred to emphasize their own country roots. “Countryboy” and “Countrygirl” have been two of the most popularly utilized names on the site, but 78% of women and 36% of men would NOT reach out to someone with that moniker. The least popular usernames - “Babygirl” ( 14%) “Angel” ( 29%) and “Cowboy” (16% ) did not fare too well, either.

Match also found that men and women differed on what they felt made usernames “bad.” According to the survey, 62% of men felt that immature names were a turn-off, while 81% of women felt offensive names were a turn off.

Now that Match no longer requires usernames, perhaps other dating sites will follow suit. Thanks to dating apps, profiles are being streamlined down to their basic elements: photos and a few tags. It makes sense that usernames would become sidelined, too.

For ore on this dating service you can read our review of Match.