Americans are divided on online dating’s safety, but a majority support requiring background checks for online dating profiles

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January 31, 2023

Key findings about online dating in the U.S.

Americans are divided on online dating’s safety, but a majority support requiring background checks for online dating profiles

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Americans are divided on online dating’s safety, but a majority support requiring background checks for online dating profiles

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Key findings about online dating in the U.S.
Younger or LGB adults more likely than their counterparts to have ever used a dating site or app
Nearly half of online dating users – and about eight-in-ten users under 30 – report ever using Tinder, making it the most widely used dating platform in the U.S.
About a quarter of partnered LGB adults say they met their match online dating
Roughly half of online daters say their online dating experiences have been positive, but there are differences by gender, sexual orientation
Women, men using dating platforms in past year feel differently about the number of messages they get – women more likely to be overwhelmed; men, insecure
Similar shares of men versus women who have online dated recently say a major reason is to find a partner, dates, friends; differences emerge for casual sex
Americans lean toward thinking dating sites and apps make finding a partner easier versus harder, but some say the number of choices they present isn’t ideal
About one-in-five U.S. adults think dating algorithms can predict love
A majority of women younger than 50 who have used dating sites or apps have received unwanted sexually explicit messages or images on these platforms

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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