30% of U.S. adults say they used a dating site or app, the same as who said this in 2019.
According to a survey of 6,034 adults conducted July 5-17, 2022, 9% reported doing so in the past year.
The rate of online dating among younger adults is higher than among older adults. About half of those under 30 (53%) have used an online dating site or app, compared to 37% of those 30 to 49, 20% of those 50 to 64, and 13% of those 65 and older.
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults are more likely than straight adults to report having used a dating site or app (51% vs. 28%).
Men are more likely than women to have tried online dating (34% vs. 27%), as are those with at least some college education compared to those with a high school education or less.
Adults who have never been married are much more likely than married adults to report having used online dating sites or apps (52% vs. 16%). Adults living with a partner (46%) or divorced, separated, or widowed (36%) are likelier to have tried online dating than married adults.
There are no statistically significant differences in the shares of adults who report ever using an online dating platform by race or ethnicity: Similar shares of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults report ever having done so.
Tinder is the leader in dating sites/apps and is top-rated among adults under 30.
Nearly half of online dating users (46%) have used Tinder at some point, with about a third reporting use of both Match (31%) and Bumble (28%). Approximately one-fifth of online daters utilize OkCupid, eharmony, or Hinge. While Grindr and HER are only used by a small percentage of online daters overall (6% and 3%, respectively), they are more popular among LGB adults than straight adults. In addition, 31% of online daters mention trying another online dating platform not mentioned in this survey.
Compared to older Americans, younger adults are far more likely to use Tinder: 79% of online dating users under 30 use it, compared to 44% of users 30 to 49, 17% of those 50 to 64, and only 1% of those 65 and older. In comparison, Match is five times more popular among users 50 and older than Tinder (50% vs. 11%). Tinder is the top online dating platform among users under 50.
10% of partnered adults – those married, living with a partner, or in a committed romantic relationship – met their current partner through a dating site/app.
Those under 30 or who are LGBTQ+ stand out from other groups when it comes to this measure of online dating “success”: Among partnered adults under 30, one in five say they met their current partner or spouse through a dating site or app, as do about a quarter of partnered LGB adults (24%).
Online dating users are divided over their positive or negative experiences.
A slightly higher percentage of those who have ever used a dating site or app say their personal experiences were very or somewhat positive (53% vs. 46%).
It has been found that some demographic groups report more positive experiences than others. For example, 57% of men who have dated online say they have had a positive experience. In comparison, 48% of women report having a negative experience. More LGB users (61%) report positive experiences on these platforms than straight users (53%).
35% say they have paid to use one of these platforms – including for extra features – but the results vary by income, gender, and age.
45% of online dating users with higher incomes have paid to use dating sites or apps, compared to 36% of users with middle incomes and 28% with lower incomes. In addition, 41% of older users who have dated online have paid to use these platforms, compared to 22% of younger users. Men are more likely than women to have paid for these sites and apps (41% vs. 29%).
About half of users who have never paid for dating sites or apps report positive experiences. Around six in ten paid users (58%) say their personal experiences with dating sites or apps have been positive.
Online dating statistics tell us women are more likely to feel overwhelmed by the number of messages they get, while men are likely to feel insecure about the lack of them.
Among current or recent online dating users, 54% of women say they have felt overwhelmed by the number of messages they have received on dating sites or apps in the past year, compared with just a quarter of men. Men, on the other hand, feel insecure because they don’t receive messages, while four out of ten women feel the same.
55% of adults who have used a dating app or site in the past year say they feel insecure about the number of messages they receive, and 36% say they feel overwhelmed.
Most recent online daters say they have often or sometimes felt excited by the people they have seen using these platforms. Still, they have also felt disappointed often or occasionally.
When asked why they use dating sites/apps, 44% of users say the main reason was to meet a long-term partner, and 40% say it was for casual dating.
Smaller shares say it was to have casual sex (24%) or make new friends (22%).
In the survey, men were much more likely than women to say casual sex was a primary reason (31% vs. 13%). There were no statistically significant differences between the sexes for the other three reasons.
42% say online dating has made searching for a long-term partner easier.
About a third (32%) say it has made no difference, and far fewer (22%) say it has made it harder to find a long-term partner or spouse.
Online dating has made searching for a partner less convenient for adults under 30 than their older counterparts. The opinions of these younger adults are about evenly divided, with 35% stating it has made the search easier and 33% saying it has made it harder.
On dating sites and apps, 43% of adults say they have enough options, while 37% think there are too many. Fewer (13%) say there needs to be more options.
Most adults are unsure that dating apps can find love.
A quarter of Americans think the types of computer programs used by dating sites and apps can determine whether two people will eventually fall in love. Still, a more significant share of Americans either say they can’t do this (35%) or are unsure (43%).
Americans are split on whether online dating is safe, and most support background checks before someone can create a profile.
In 2019, the share of U.S. adults who said online dating was generally a safe way to meet people dropped from 53% to 48%. Women are more likely than men to say online dating is not safe at all.
The number of Americans saying online dating is unsafe varies by age as well: 62% of Americans over 65 say it is dangerous, compared with 53% of people aged 50 to 64 and 42% of those under 50. According to 57% of people who have never used an online dating site or app, it is particularly unsafe.
While six in ten Americans believe companies should require background checks before someone creates a dating profile, 15 percent say they shouldn’t, and 24 percent are uncertain. Women and older adults are more likely to say these checks should be mandatory than younger adults.
The majority of online dating users, however, oppose these checks: 47% of users say companies should require background checks, compared to 65% of those who have not used dating sites or apps.
Younger women stand out for experiencing unwanted behaviors.
Among women under 50 who have utilized dating sites or apps, a majority (56%) report receiving unsolicited sexually explicit messages or images, while approximately four in ten have had persistent unwanted contact (43%) or been subjected to derogatory language (37%). For about one out of every ten individuals in this demographic (11%), the experience escalated to threatening physical harm. It should be noted that these occurrences are less frequent among both older female online daters and male users of all ages.
On online dating sites, 38% of users have ever received unsolicited sexually explicit messages or images; 30% have experienced continued unwanted contact; 24% have been called offensive names; and 6% have been threatened with physical harm.
52% say they have encountered someone they think was trying to scam them.
63% of men under 50 who have used dating sites or apps believe they have encountered a scammer. A smaller share of men ages 50 and older (47%) and women of any age (44%) agree.
All data courtesy of Pew Research
