New analysis has revealed that UK adults reported less success stories from dating apps in 2022 as compared to the year prior. Are dating apps losing their mojo or are there other factors at play?
Fresh analysis from Currys highlights a few reasons why this may be. As hybrid working has become the norm, people may be opting to stay home rather than go out on dates, meaning they are more selective.
It also notes that ‘casual dating’ may be becoming less popular, with more intentional dating now seemingly the preferred mindset. Currys explains that this can be proven with the popularity of Hinge, which rose up 4 ranks in the retailer’s dating app popularity table.
Hinge encourages users to take more of an active role in making connections, enabling them to be creative in their prompts and replies to other’s prompts. This could show more intentional use of dating apps is becoming more popular, as opposed to casual swiping.
The dating apps that saw the biggest drop in success stories are Tinder, Match.com, and eHarmony according to the study. The dating apps that saw the lowest drop in success stories are EliteSingles, HER, and OkCupid.
Hinge and Lumen were the only dating apps that saw an increase in success stories from 2021 to 2022.
The decline in successful connections could be causing, or be the result of, online dating’s poor reputation. Over 37% of UK men say they would never recommend people use dating apps, with over 26% of UK women agreeing.
This is especially the case among those aged between 16 and 34, with this community saying they’d never recommend dating apps, and wish they’d never used dating apps, at a higher rate than older generations.
The study was conducted with 2000 people across the UK sharing their perspectives.