COVID Moves Singles Away From ‘One Night Stands’, Says Plenty Of Fish Study

A new study from Plenty Of Fish suggests that the pandemic has caused more young people to shift away from the ‘one night stand’ mindset, looking for deeper and more meaningful connections instead.

As the country begins to reopen, new insights from the dating platform show that while 42% of singles are open to physical intimacy after the pandemic and are eager to meet new people, two-thirds will continue to be just as virtually connected after the pandemic.

Despite the impact COVID-19 had on the dating landscape, singles have embraced the “new normal” including changing their dating behaviour and perceptions of intimacy have changed as a result.

Dr Jess O’Reilly, a dating expert from Plenty Of Fish, said in a statement: “After what many are considering a ‘lost year,’ we see singles being more intentional than ever about who they’re spending time with and how they choose to spend that time.

“With an increased focus on things like emotional intimacy, Plenty Of Fish ensured singles didn’t lose an entire year after all, by providing them with a platform to make those deeper, more meaningful connections in a low-pressure way.”

The research also showed that half of singles think one-night stands will become a thing of the past once the pandemic comes to an end, and men are more likely to agree with this sentiment than women. From the same research, millennials are more likely than Gen Z to believe that one-night stands are a pre-COVID-19 trend. 

61% of singles believe sexting will be even more popular after the pandemic than it was before. More than 45% singles said they feel more confident in their virtual sexual intimacy skills than their in-person skills, including 54% of men and 39% of women.

Visit the Plenty Of Fish website here.