43% of millennials have used an internet dating service or app at some point – while Tinder is the best known and one of the most respectable online dating platforms
One of the founding ideas of the internet was its potential to eradicate isolation, and yet some people claim it has achieved the opposite. In terms of romance the story is more promising – it might never have been easier to find a date, and as social stigma around internet dating fades there's every reason to believe the trend will continue.
55% of Singaporeans know at least one couple who met online
New YouGov research reveals the scale of the phenomenon in Singapore. As many as a third of Singaporeans have used internet and online dating apps. This rises to 43% among millennials.
Yet a similar proportion of millennials (47%) also say they would be embarrassed to admit that they had met their partner through online dating/apps. A third (34%) of baby boomers say the same. However, three-quarters (73%) of Singaporeans say they would not think of a couple that met online any differently.
55% know at least one couple who have met this way. While 64% of millennials know at least one couple who met online, only 27% of baby boomers do.
Coffee Meets Bagel is seen as the most respectable online dating service
It’s safe to say that online dating is now mainstream in Singapore and online dating is an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Tinder is a clear favourite in Singapore, scoring among the highest for both fame and respectability. 84% of Singaporeans have heard of Tinder and 51% of those who have ever used online dating say it is considered respectable. Just 29% consider to be not respectable, giving it a net score of +22 – the second most respected platform among all apps featured in the survey. The highest scoring service for reputation is Coffee Meets Bagel, with a score of +23, despite an awareness score almost half of that of Tinder (45%).
Online dating is worth $2.2 billion in America alone, and Tinder boasts 26 million matches a day. However, only 16% of Singaporean love-seekers who have used internet dating would prefer to meet their future partner via online dating services, suggesting that internet dating services still have a long way to go before they can fully shake off their stigma.
*Data was collected online between 11 and 28 September 2017 using YouGov’s panel of over 5 million people worldwide. It was weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: 1,038
Photo source: Getty Image / Zerbor
