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Revisit Landmark PEW Study On Online Dating And Society

Pew Internet

Online dating is becoming a more popular and socially acceptable way of meeting a partner, a Pew study has revealed.

Pew Research Center found one in ten Americans had used online or mobile dating, up from 3% in 2008.  

Of those described as “single and looking”, 38% said they had gone online looking for love.

Pew did a similar study in 2005, and this year’s report shows that attitudes are more positive towards online dating, and it seems to be losing its stigma.

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They found that 59% of Americans think online dating is a good way to meet people, up from 44% in 2005.

And those who thought “people who use online dating sites are desperate” dropped from 29% in 2005 to 21%. 

Americans also know more people who have used online dating, 42%, and 29% said they knew someone who used it to find a spouse or longterm partner.

This figure was up from 15% in 2005.

However, a large 54% of online daters felt someone had “seriously misrepresented themselves”, and 28% had felt harassed or uncomfortable by contact.

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Here are some other findings of the report:

  • 22% of 25-34 year olds are online daters, compared to 17% of 35-44 year olds.
  • 7% of cell phone users (3% of all adults) say have used a dating app on their mobile device.
  • 40% of online daters have used sites designed for people with shared interests or backgrounds.
  • 33% have paid to use a dating site.
  • Match.com was the most popular site, with eHarmony coming in second.
  • 5% of Americans who are currently married or in long term relationships met their partner somewhere online.
  • Of those who’ve been together for 10 years or less, 11% met online.
  • 60% of Americans use social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter.

The survey was based on a sample of 2,252 Americans over the age of 18.

To read the full report, go here.

Simon Edmunds

Simon is the former editor of Global Dating Insights. Born in Newcastle, he has an English degree from Queen Mary, London and after working for the NHS, trained as a journalist with the Press Association. Passionate about music, journalism and Newcastle United.

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