A third of Aussies have used internet dating | YouGov (2024)

Half of millennials have used an internet dating service or app at some point – while eHarmony is the highest scoring service in both fame and respectability

One of the founding ideas of the internet was its potential to eradicate isolation, and yet some people claim it has achieved the opposite. In terms of romance the story is more promising – it might never have been easier to find a date, and as social stigma around internet dating fades there's every reason to believe the trend will continue.

53% of Aussies know at least one couple who met online

New YouGov research reveals the scale of the phenomenon in Australia. As many as a third (35%) of Aussies have used internet and online dating apps. This rises to half among millennials.

Yet the same proportion (53%) of millennials also say they would be embarrassed to admit that they had met their partner through online dating/apps. A quarter of baby boomers say the same. However, three-quarters (74%) of Aussies say they would not think of a couple that met online any differently.

A third of Aussies have used internet dating | YouGov (1)

53% know at least one couple who have met this way. This rises to 62% among millennials, and falls to 43% among baby boomers.

Tinder and Bumble are seen as the least respectable online dating services

Tinder, a mobile dating app that allows people to connect if they have both swiped right on each others' profile, has become so popular 'the Tinder generation' is now a phrase. But among people who've used internet dating services and apps it's got a seedy reputation. Despite being known to 91% of Aussies it has a net respectability score of just +6. Bumble, a dating app that uses a similar swipe-based interface, also scored just +6. Both services are the lowest ranked for respectability of all dating services polled.

Internet services eHarmony and RSVP, pitched at long-term relationship seekers rather than hook-ups, have the best reputation for respectability – and they're also among the three most widely-known.

A third of Aussies have used internet dating | YouGov (3)

Online dating is worth $2.2 billion in America alone, and Tinder boasts 26 million matches a day. eHarmony claims to have married a million Americans, but it's founder is cautious about younger hook-up apps – "if the only thing you’re looking at is whether or not the person’s looks turn you on, I worry about that”, he said.

*Data was collected online between 11 and 28 September 2017 using YouGov’s panel of over 5 million people worldwide. It was weighted to be representative of the Australian population. Sample size: 1,014

Photo source: Getty Image / Zerbor

A third of Aussies have used internet dating | YouGov (2024)

FAQs

How many people use online dating in Australia? ›

No official data is available on the number of Australians using these services but major industry participants claim membership numbers in Australia that total in excess of 4.6 million. Given that consumers may register on multiple dating sites, it is likely these numbers include some double counting.

What percentage of Australians use Tinder? ›

The top six online dating apps used were: Tinder (27%), Bumble (21%), Grindr (8%), Hinge (6%), eHarmony (6%) and Plenty of Fish (2%). These rates are relatively representative of social media service and online dating app usage patterns in other quantitative studies of the general population in Australia.

What are the statistics of online dating? ›

Dating App Success Rate

Nearly 70% of individuals who met someone on a dating app said it led to a romantic, exclusive relationship, while 28% said it did not. Individuals between ages 43 and 58 found the most success with online dating, with 72% stating that meeting on a dating app led to a romantic relationship.

What percentage of relationships start online? ›

The percentage of couples who meet online through dating apps has been increasing in recent years. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, about 39% of heterosexual couples and 65% of same-sex couples in the United States met through online platforms in 2017.

What percent of the population uses online dating? ›

Who is looking for love online? The online dating market in the U.S. has seen constant growth over the past few years. In 2022, there were 57.44 million online dating service users in the United States. Additionally, as of July 2022, 30 percent of adults in the U.S. had used online dating services at some point.

Which country uses online dating the most? ›

Comparing the 23 selected regions regarding the penetration rate in the 'Online Dating' segment of the eservices market, the United States is leading the ranking (17.57 percent) and is followed by the United Kingdom with 16.17 percent.

How many Australians use Bumble? ›

Bumble said it had two million users in 2019. Based on those figures, there are now about 300,000 people in Australia searching for friendships on its platform alone.

What dating app has the most users in Australia? ›

Popularity of each platform among dating app users in Australia. Note – Top three most used apps in Australia in bold: #1 Tinder, #2 Bumble, #3 Hinge and #4 eHarmony. Around a fifth have been or are on Hinge (21%) – also owned by Match Group – and eHarmony (20%), which take the third and fourth spots.

Which country most uses Tinder? ›

With more than 75 million monthly active users, Tinder is the most popular dating app in the world. Users in more than 197 countries use the app, with the U.S. recording the most user subscriptions.

What age group uses online dating the most? ›

Online dating service users in the United States as of September 2023, by age group
CharacteristicShare of respondents
18-2926%
30-4961%
50-6413%

What dating site has the highest success rate? ›

Summary: Compare the Best Online Dating Sites in 2024
ProductForbes Health RatingsBest For
Match4.8Most Well-Established
OkCupid4.8Most Comprehensive Matching Algorithm
eharmony4.6Best Free Features
Zoosk4.4Best for Behavior Matching
1 more row
3 days ago

Which dating app has the most female users? ›

Christian Mingle comes in at 58.6 percent, Coffee Meets Bagel is not far behind with a whopping 57.3 percent of women and eHarmony is in third place with 55.2 percent. Then, there's OkCupid, Bumble (BMBL), Match and Tinder.

What is the growth rate of online dating? ›

Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 2.48%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$3.56bn by 2029. In the Online Dating market, the number of users is expected to amount to 470.0m users by 2029. User penetration will be 5.1% in 2024 and is expected to hit 5.8% by 2029.

What percentage of men use online dating? ›

Dating statistics show men are more likely than women to have used online dating platforms (57% vs. 46%), and this discrepancy mirrors trends among straight adults.

What percent of men are single? ›

Nearly half of all young adults are single: 34 percent of women, and a whopping 63 percent of men. Not surprisingly, the decline in relationships marches astride with a decline in sex. The share of sexually active Americans stands at a 30-year low.

What percentage of couples meet online Australia? ›

Almost 1 in 4 younger Australians met their partner online

Among the general Australian population, almost 1 in 4 (24%) of people aged under 44 years met their partner online, while only 6% of people aged over 44 met their partner online.

Is dating common in Australia? ›

Australian Dating Culture : Group dating is normal in Australia, particularly among teenagers. Couples often don't go out on their first dates alone, until they are 20 years old.

What is Australia's biggest online dating? ›

Popularity of each platform among dating app users in Australia. Note – Top three most used apps in Australia in bold: #1 Tinder, #2 Bumble, #3 Hinge and #4 eHarmony. Around a fifth have been or are on Hinge (21%) – also owned by Match Group – and eHarmony (20%), which take the third and fourth spots.

What percentage of people shop online in Australia? ›

Excluding groceries, 3 in 4 Australians (76%) shop online. The average Aussie spends 4 hours each week browsing the sales, down from 4.4 hours in 2021.

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