London-based dating app CLiKD has conducted some research to find out how singles in the UK are adapting to government-enforced lockdown regulations.
As face-to-face dates are seemingly a thing of the past, more matches are connecting through virtual dates, part of a phenomenon that CLiKD has dubbed “Isodating”.
Founder Michael Blakeley explained in a statement: “Whilst it’s great that people are using dating apps to stay connected and social, we were shocked to find that people are willing to risk it all to meet in real life.
“Lockdown will end, but until then we encourage people to use technology available to stay home, stay safe and stay social.”
Since the lockdown was introduced, 66% of men and 58% of women have continued to date online, and a significant portion of them appear willing to break the strict isolation rules.
Men are 2.5 times more likely than women to break the rules if they think their date is “hot”. However, women are three times more likely to break protocol if they feel a strong connection.
Of the women who would break social distancing, 63% of women also said that they would consider meeting up with someone if they were feeling particularly “sex starved”.
In terms of likes and dislikes surrounding “isodating”, 55% of men like the fact that it is quick and easy. On the other hand, 21% of men also like that they can have more than one digital date in an evening.
One-third of women said they feel comfortable cancelling or hanging-up if their match doesn’t live up to expectations.
The majority of respondents agreed that they missed physical contact, with 35% of men and 22% of women also not liking that there is no chance of a date ending in sex.
Online dating has been significantly on the rise over the past few weeks, and a number of video products were released ahead of schedule to satisfy demand. The dating landscape has been forever changed, even after isolation measures eventually end.
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