Imperial College Business School and eHarmony UK have collaborated to produce the industry report ‘Future of Dating 2050’.
One of the headline findings from the report was that the average age of UK daters could increase by a decade, to 47, by the year 2050. GDI covered this finding in detail here.
The increase in older daters was complemented by a potential decrease in younger daters, as economic stagnation may lead to a lack of independence for 18-30 year olds.
In lieu of traditional dating opportunities, 18-30 year olds may turn to technological solutions for romance – potentially making use of virtual and augmented reality technologies.
Another finding was that a move towards more liberal social attitudes may see future singles have four key relationships over the course of their lives, up from two currently.
These modern attitudes may also make daters more open to polyamory and other non-traditional arrangements.
The report indicates that 13% of all new mothers will be 40+ come 2050 (up from 4% today), as improvements in fertility technology will allow women to postpone ‘settling down’.
70% of UK society will be non-religious by 2050, and the report hypothesises that this may help people forge new connections across communities.
This is something there is already evidence for across racial lines – the UK mixed-ethnicity population is projected to almost triple from 1.3 million to 3.4 million over the same time period.
Find a range of other insights in the full report here.