It’s no secret that online dating has been a tremendous outlet for people to find the love of their lives. From popular apps like Tinder to OkCupid, to the more designated apps like Farmers Only and RocknRollDating, everyone has their own taste of finding their soulmate. Though the real question is with so many choices to choose from, just how many people are using these online dating apps?
Let’s start with today’s numbers. 40 million Americans are using online dating websites and apps on their smartphones. According to the Pew Research Center, 15 percent of U.S. adults have reported that they have used either an mobile dating app or website. That’s a big jump considering back in 2005, most Americans didn’t have that much knowledge of online dating. Today, almost half of the American population knows at least one person who uses online dating or has met a spouse or partner online.
And while the assumption is that millennials are those using these apps, that’s not entirely true. Online dating has indeed jumped significantly from ages under 25, but it has also increased in people who are in their late 50s and early 60s! Today, 12 percent of 55-to 64-year-olds have said that they have used an online dating site or mobile dating app, that’s up from 6 percent in 2013! Though, it’s not a surprise that ages 18-24 are the biggest users at 27 percent, they also made a big jump from 10 percent back in 2013.
Now if you feel you haven’t been able to find your soul mate through dating apps, you aren’t the only one. It’s reported that 66 percent have told the Pew Research Center that they have gone on a date with someone they have met on a dating app or website, which is a notable increase compared to 43 percent over ten years ago. Still, that means over 30 percent have never even met up with someone they met online in real life.
And as our smartphones continue to evolve and the number of dating apps continue to expand, it appears traditional dating might not be dead after all. Even those Americans that have been with their spouse or partner for five years or less, 88 percent met them in an offline environment! That’s a significant difference from the 5 percent of Americans who are in a committed relationship with someone they met online.
In the end, the numbers don’t lie, but if you feel you can meet the love of your life through a dating app or website, it’s worth a shot! Only 23 percent of Americans still feel that using online dating or a mobile dating app are desperate to find love, meaning it's much more acceptable in today's world. So go out there and try it! You never know when or how you’ll meet your soul mate.
