According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, three-in-ten U.S. adults say they have used an online dating site or app at some point in their lives
For some Americans, these platforms have been instrumental in forging meaningful connections: 12% say they have married or been in a committed relationship with someone they first met through a dating site or app. All in all, about a quarter of Americans (23%) say they have ever gone on a date with someone they first met through a dating site or app.
Also, online dating is especially popular among certain groups – particularly younger adults and those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB).
Roughly half or more of 18- to 29-year-olds (48%) and LGB adults (55%) say they have used a dating site or app, while about 20% in each group say they have married or been in a committed relationship with someone they first met through these platforms.
However, Americans who have used online dating offer a mixed look at their time on these platforms.
Broadly speaking, online dating users describe their overall experience using these platforms in positive rather than negative terms.
Additionally, most online daters say it was at least somewhat easy for them to find others that they found physically attractive, shared common interests with, or who seemed like someone they would want to meet in person.
However, users also experienced some downsides to online dating. Roughly seven-in-ten online daters believe it is very common for those who use these platforms to lie to try to appear more desirable. And by a wide margin, Americans who have used a dating site or app in the past year say the experience left them feeling more frustrated (45%) than hopeful (28%).
Dating sites or apps can also become a venue for bothersome or harassing behavior – especially for women under the age of 35.
For instace, 60% of female users ages 18 to 34 say someone on a dating site or app continued to contact them after they said they were not interested, while a similar share (57%) report being sent a sexually explicit message or image they didn’t ask for.
