To celebrate National Coming Out Day in the US, Chappy has published The State of Gay Dating and Friendships report.
A survey was sent out to male, gender non-conforming and non-binary participants to find out more about how the LGBTQ community is using technology to start relationships in modern times.
Overall, 93% of respondents said that online dating has become a very important tool for them to make connections. Research from Stanford University in 2017 found that 65% of same-sex relationships began online, compared to just 39% of heterosexual ones.
Furthermore, two-thirds of Chappy’s respondents believe it is now much easier to meet people with the help of apps.
However, they don’t like the increased number of explicit and offensive interactions that come with it. A similar number admitted to receiving a hurtful comment from someone they met online.
In June, Chappy unveiled its new ‘outer space’ redesign as part of its commitment to being a safe space for gay dating.
Off the back of these results, Chappy announced it will implement a number of new features in the near future. New profile badges will be introduced so users can display more details about their interests and personality.
The team is also going to use the findings to make meaningful changes to its policies and terms of service.
Chappy’s co-founder and Head of Brand Sam Dumas said in a statement: “Dating in the gay space and dating within the heterosexual community are so intrinsically different. This inaugural report is so critical because it provides us with insights into what it means to be a man seeking connection with another man in today’s day and age.
“As a community, we’ve made so much progress in the 31 years since National Coming Out Day was founded, but we still have so much more work to do.”
Read the full report here.