According to Consumer Reports, 44% of people surveyed who had tried online dating said it had led to a serious relationship or even marriage.
The study also found that 28% of people who used more than one dating platform were actually signed up to four or more services.
The survey asked respondents to rate a number of online dating platforms on their overall satisfaction, appearance, quantity and quality of matches, the ease of signing up, creating a profile and making changes, as well as their search and filter options, amongst other factors.
Interestingly, it’s the free platforms that singles seem to have viewed most favourably, with OkCupid, Tinder and Grindr receiving the most positive responses.
Zoosk, Chemistry and Ashley Madison received the lowest scores, despite having some of the highest subscription costs.
Margot Gilman, from Consumer Reports’ Money Content Development Team, said: “While the prospects of finding a long-term match were surprisingly good amongst our survey respondents, our survey suggests that online dating can be as frustrating and emotionally fraught as off line dating.”
In terms of why people aren’t using online dating platforms, Consumer Reports found that a huge 56% of women and 41% of men were concerned about being scammed.
A further 21% of women and 9% of men listed their reason as knowing someone who had a bad experience with online dating.
To help combat concerns, Gilman said: “If a person you haven’t met face to face wants to quickly leave the dating site’s messaging app—and the privacy it offers—to talk by phone or send messages to your email address, that can be a red flag.
“Beware of ensuing pleas for money that might involve expenses for family members, medical problems, or a business deal gone sour.”
Consumer Reports surveyed 115,000 people about online dating, combining these results with answers to its 2016 Online Dating Survey from 9,636 people who had used online dating platforms in the last two years.
To see more about Consumer Reports’ findings please click here.