Communication studies online dating
12-May-2020 20:33
Online dating has jumped among adults under age 25 as well as those in their late 50s and early 60s.
The share of 18- to 24-year-olds who use online dating has roughly tripled from 10% in 2013 to 27% today.
To be sure, many people remain puzzled that someone would want to find a romantic partner online – 23% of Americans agree with the statement that “people who use online dating sites are desperate” – but in general it is much more culturally acceptable than it was a decade ago.One factor behind the substantial growth among younger adults is their use of mobile dating apps.About one-in-five 18- to 24-year olds (22%) now report using mobile dating apps; in 2013, only 5% reported doing so.Moving beyond dates, one quarter of online daters (23%) say that they themselves have entered into a marriage or long-term relationship with someone they met through a dating site or app.
That is statistically similar to the 17% of online daters who said that this had happened to them when we first asked this question in 2005.
These are among the key findings of a national survey of dating and relationships in the digital era, the first dedicated study of this subject by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project since 2005.