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Online Dating Statistics: Dating Stats from 2018

A couple who learned about these dating statistics from 2018 on a date at sunset.

In recent years, online dating, once thought to be a fad, has grown into an incredibly popular space. Tens of millions of people now date online all across the world. Everybody knows people who have either gotten married to or are in a committed relationship with someone they met on an online dating service. And the more people that use these services the more data these companies can collect, so that we can better understand how people date in a way that we never could before.

Here are some online dating statistics that will shed some light on how us humans get together in the era of online dating:

The Hot and the Not

The Date Mix publishes regular anonymous data studies that use data from the dating app Zoosk. Here’s some of the most fun data about attraction (and unattraction) we’ve found so far.

Maybe it’s no surprise, but most online daters drink. In fact, that number is a whopping 72% according to our most recent dating data study. The most popular drink for men is beer, and the most popular for women is wine. The study also says that one or two drinks is fine on a date. Third drink? Not so much. Let’s cap it early. Unfortunately, this popularity of drinking makes things a little hard for non-drinkers. 32% of non-drinkers said it’s hard to date. Awkward.

Are you a single dad? You’re in luck. Dad’s are hot now, according to our Father’s Day study. A whopping 92% of single women said they’re open to dating a single dad. Fatherhood is finally getting the respect it deserves. Women have said that dads are more attractive, because they’re more caring, patient, responsible, and thoughtful. But it’s not just about what’s inside. 86% of women surveyed said that they like dad bods too.

Remember when geeks weren’t cool? Well, hate to break it to you, but according to over 700 thousand profiles and over 200 million messages surveyed, being a geek still isn’t cool, at least in the dating world. (We still love you though.) Writing nerd in your profile can net you up to 7% more messages, but writing geek in your profile will get you 7% few than the average. Writing you’re a dork in your profile, well, that can net you up to 74% more messages. Sci-fi and fantasy fans are in luck too. Mentioning Darth Vader in your messages increases your reply rate by 61%. Do you belong to the House of the Dark Lord? Mentioning Slytherin can increase your message rate by 67%.

Some Things Change and Some Stay The Same

Out with the old and in with the new right? Well, in respect to romance, the answer is… sort of. Online daters are actually way more old-fashioned than you think. Hopeless romantics net 38% more messages, while saying you’re old-fashioned in your profile nets you 16% more messages. 95% of people think holding a door open on a date is romantic, 93% think public displays of affection are too, and 82% think paying on the first date is romantic.

But that’s not all. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 88% of Americans cited love as a very important reason to get married, along with making a lifelong commitment at 81%, and companionship at 76%. Speaking of old fashioned, this same survey said that 71% of American adults saw it as important for the man to be the financial provider, while just 32% said the same for women.

Also, while marriage has been on the decline for the last quarter century, half of Americans over the age of 18 are married. (Related fact: 23% of married couples have been married before.)

Good news for same-sex couples: support for same-sex marriage has grown tremendously in the States over the last decade. Americans opposed same-sex marriage 54% to 37% back in 2007, but now favor same-sex marriage 62% to 32%.

Online Dating Enters the Game

The internet has changed how we do everything, and romance is no exception. After data-mining their dating app, Coffee Meets Bagel found that online daters spend an average of 22 minutes each time they visit a dating site and engage with an online dating website on average 12 hours week. It’s almost like finding love is a part-time gig. As for longevity, 11% of American couples who have been together for 10 years or less met online. 5% of Americans who are married or are in long-term partnership met their significant other online.

No matter how you date. The state of romance has changed. Luckily, we’re in the age where we can measure just where and how. Online dating has had a massive impact on modern romance in a way that’s not fully realized. But as cultural standards change, we’ll have a better way of keeping an eye on it. The longer online dating is around, the more online dating statistics we’ll be able to offer up to help us all better understand how we find love.

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