Can't dating sites?

The rise of phone apps and online dating websites gives people access to more potential partners than they could meet at work or in the neighborhood. It makes it easier for someone looking for something very specific in a partner to find what they are looking for. It also helps people who use the apps by allowing them to enjoy a pattern of regular encounters that don't have to lead to relationships. I think these things are definitely characteristic of modern romance.

Recruiting ATP panelists by phone or mail ensures that nearly every U.S. UU. Adults have the opportunity to be selected. This gives us confidence that any sample can represent the entire U.S.

Adult population (see our explanation of Methods 101 on random sampling). To further ensure that each ATP survey reflects a balanced cross-section of the nation, the data is weighted to match the U.S. Adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, party affiliation, education and other categories. For more information, see the methodology of the project report.

You can also find the questions asked and the answers that the public provided in this main line. From personal ads that began appearing in publications around the 18th century to video cassette dating services that emerged decades ago, the platforms people use to seek romantic partners have evolved throughout history. This evolution has continued with the rise of online dating sites and mobile apps. The current survey finds that online dating is especially popular among certain groups, particularly younger adults and those who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB).

About half or more of 18-29 year olds (48%) and LGB adults (55%) say they have ever used a dating site or app, while about 20% of each group say they have married or been in a committed relationship with someone they first met through these platforms. Americans who have used online dating offer a mixed view of their time on these platforms. Online dating has not only disrupted more traditional ways of meeting romantic partners, its increase also comes at a time when norms and behaviors around marriage and cohabitation are also changing as more people delay marriage or choose to remain single. These changing realities have sparked a wider debate about the impact of online dating on romantic relationships in America.

On the one hand, some highlight the ease and efficiency of using these platforms to find dates, as well as the ability of sites to expand users' dating options beyond their traditional social circles. Others offer a less flattering narrative about online dating, ranging from concerns about scams or harassment to a belief that these platforms facilitate superficial rather than meaningful relationships. This survey finds that the public is somewhat ambivalent about the overall impact of online dating. Half of Americans believe that dating sites and apps have had no positive or negative effect on dating and relationships, while smaller stocks think their effect has been mostly positive (22%) or mostly negative (26%).

Some 30% of Americans Say They Have Ever Used an Online Dating Site or App. Of those who have used these platforms, 18% say they are currently using them, while an additional 17% say they are not currently using them, but that they have used them last year. Beyond age, there are also notable differences by sexual orientation, 3 LGB adults are about twice as likely as heterosexual adults to say they have used a dating site or app (55% vs. At the same time, a small part of the U.S.

Adults report that they found a partner through online dating platforms. Some 12% of adults say they have married or entered into a committed relationship with someone they first met through a dating site or app. This also follows a similar pattern to that seen in general usage, with adults under 50, those who are LGB or who have higher levels of educational attainment, more likely to report that they have found a committed spouse or partner through these platforms. Online dating users are more likely to describe their overall experience with using dating sites or apps in positive, rather than negative, terms.

Some 57% of Americans who have ever used a dating site or app say their own personal experiences with these platforms have been very or somewhat positive. Still, around four in ten online daters (42%) describe their personal experience with dating sites or apps as at least somewhat negative. For the most part, different demographics tend to view their online dating experiences in a similar way. However, there are some notable exceptions.

College-educated online daters, for example, are much more likely than those with a high school diploma or less to say their own personal experience with dating sites or apps is very or somewhat positive (63% vs. At the same time, 71% of online daters report that it was at least somewhat easy to find people on dating sites or apps that they found physically attractive, while about two-thirds say it was easy to find people who shared their hobbies or interests or who appeared to be someone to who would like to meet in person. While majorities of various demographics are more likely to describe their searches as easy rather than difficult, there are some differences depending on gender. Among online daters, women are more likely than men to say it was at least somewhat difficult to find people they were physically attracted to (36% vs.

When asked if they received too many, not enough, or just about the right amount of messages on dating sites or apps, 43% of Americans who dated online in the past five years say they didn't get enough messages, while 17% say they received too many messages. Another 40% think the number of messages they received was almost correct. There are substantial gender differences in the amount of attention online daters say they received on dating sites or apps. Men who have dated online in the past five years are much more likely than women to feel like they haven't received enough messages (57% vs.

On the other hand, women who have been online dating in this time period are five times more likely than men to think they were sent too many messages (30% vs. The survey also asked online daters about their experiences receiving messages from people they were interested in. In a similar pattern, these users are more likely to report receiving too few rather than too many of these messages (54 vs. And while gender differences persist, they are much less pronounced.

For example, 61% of men who have dated online in the past five years say they didn't receive enough messages from people they were interested in, compared to 44% of women who say this. Online daters widely believe that dishonesty is a pervasive problem on these platforms. A clear majority of online daters (71%) say it's very common for people on these platforms to lie about themselves to appear more desirable, while another 25% think it's commonplace. Only 3% of online daters think this isn't something common on dating platforms.

Smaller but still substantial actions of online daters believe people create fake accounts to scam others (50%) or people who receive sexually explicit messages or images they didn't ask for (48%) are very common on dating sites and apps. Conversely, online daters are less likely to think that harassment or intimidation, and privacy breaches, such as data breaches or identity theft, are very common occurrences on these platforms. Some experts argue that the open nature of online dating, that is, the fact that many users are unknown to each other has created a less civilized dating environment and therefore makes it difficult for people to be held accountable for their behavior. This survey reveals that a notable proportion of online daters have been subjected to some form of harassment measured in this survey.

About three in ten or more online dating users say someone through a dating site or app continued to contact them after they said they weren't interested (37%), sent them a sexually explicit message or image they didn't ask for (35%), or called them an offensive name (28%). Fewer online daters say someone through a dating site or app has threatened to physically harm them. The likelihood of encountering this type of behavior on dating platforms also varies depending on sexual orientation. Fully 56% of LGB users say someone on a dating site or app has sent them a sexually explicit message or image they didn't ask for, compared to about a third of heterosexual users (32%).

LGB users are also more likely than heterosexual users to say that someone on a dating site or app continued to contact them after they were told they weren't interested, called them an offensive name or threatened to physically harm them. The creators of online dating sites and apps have sometimes struggled with the perception that these sites could facilitate problematic — or even dangerous — encounters. And while there is some evidence that much of the stigma surrounding these sites has diminished over time, close to half of Americans still find the prospect of meeting someone through a dating site unsafe. Some 53% of Americans overall (including those who have and haven't dated online) agree that dating sites and apps are a very or somewhat safe way to meet people, while a somewhat smaller proportion (46%) believe that these platforms are not too or not at all safe a way to meet people.

Americans who have never used a dating site or app are particularly skeptical about the safety of online dating. Roughly half of adults who have never used a date or an app (52%) believe that these platforms are not too safe or not at all safe way to meet other people, compared to 29% of those who have dated online. There are some groups that are particularly wary of the idea of meeting someone through dating platforms. Women are more inclined than men to believe that dating sites and apps aren't a safe way to meet someone (53% vs.

Americans, regardless of whether they have personally used online dating services or not, also evaluated the virtues and pitfalls of online dating. Some 22% of Americans say that online dating sites and apps have had a mostly positive effect on dating and relationships, while a similar proportion (26%) believe their effect has been mostly negative. Still, the largest proportion of adults — 50% — say online dating hasn't had a positive or negative effect on dating and relationships. Respondents who said the effect of online dating has been mostly positive or negative were asked to explain in their own words why they felt that way.

Some of the most common reasons provided by those who believe online dating has had a positive effect center on its ability to expand people's dating pools and allow people to evaluate someone before agreeing to meet in person. These users also believe that dating sites and apps generally make the dating process easier. On the other hand, people who said that online dating has had a mostly negative effect, often cite dishonesty and the idea that users misrepresent themselves. Pluralities also believe that the fact that a couple meets online or in person has little effect on the success of their relationship.

Just over half of Americans (54%) say relationships in which couples meet through a dating site or app are as successful as those that start in person, 38% believe these relationships are less successful, while 5% consider them more successful. Public attitudes about the impact or success of online dating differ between those who have used dating platforms and those who have not. While 29% of online dating users say dating sites and apps have had a mostly positive effect on dating and relationships, that share is 21% among non-users. People who have ever used a dating site or app also have a more positive assessment of relationships forged online.

Some 62% of online daters believe relationships where people first met through a dating site or app are just as successful as those that started in person, compared to 52% of those who never dated. New findings, delivered monthly About the Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan data group that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends that shape the world. Conduct public opinion polls, demographic research, media content analysis, and other empirical social science research. The Pew Research Center does not take political positions.

It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Imagine your own Dream Team of highly rated dating experts looking for the best local matches, piquing their interest, and arranging all the dates for you. While most dating sites attract serious and casual daters, some options generate more success for long-term relationships. Clover tried to be the on-demand version of online dating sites, allowing you to order a date like you would a pizza.

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