This is how dating and preferences have changed during the pandemic

The Kinsey Institute at the University of Indiana has partnered with the dating service Match for eleven years to conduct an annual study of singles dating habits.

After two years of pandemic and social restrictions, researchers see that the dating life and preferences of singles have changed in several ways.

– What we want to understand are the attitudes of the over one hundred million singles in the country – how they experience going in and out of romantic relationships, says professor of gender studies and sexuality, Justin Garcia.

Garcia is the leader the institute. Watch him talk about the findings at the top of the case.

Garcia says they are seeing more changes in attitudes and preferences in the dating life of singles now compared to before the pandemic.

Emotional maturity

– The most interesting thing we look at is what we call emotional maturity. Many singles are more focused on building close relationships. This is a trend we see in all demographic samples, he says.

Garcia explains that they have collected data from 5,000 single people in the United States between the ages of 18 and 98.

The study started in March 2020, and all data is collected over the internet – mainly through standardized forms on the department’s platforms on social media.

The researchers believe it gives them a representative sample in terms of age, geography, gender, orientation, religion and social and ethnic background.

Close relationships trump physical attraction

– Things like physical attraction are still important, but it has become less important compared to building a deeper emotional relationship, says Garcia.

In this year’s study, it is close relationships that have become most important for the singles who have participated.

When it comes to the desire to build closer relationships, the study shows that only 11 percent of singles say they want to date without obligation. 62 percent say they want more meaningful relationships. This number is even higher among the youngest in the study.

– Most people want a girlfriend.

There are no Norwegian studies that reveal whether or how dating has changed during the pandemic era. But on a general basis, psychologist and cohabitation therapist Frode Thuen is not surprised that most people want close relationships.

– Most people really want a girlfriend, says Thuen to TV 2.

– There are several studies on the users of Tinder and other dating apps, and the picture is complex. Many are there to find a sexual partner, but when you dig a little into it, it turns out that these also want to find a permanent partner eventually, he says.

He doubts that this picture has changed much during the pandemic in Norway, but points out that we have lived here relatively normally compared to the USA.

New technology

Garcia also highlights the use of new technology as something that has changed since March 2020.

– We also see that the singles use new technology in dating, such as video dating, says the professor. He believes this is a step further in the flirting process that will continue after the pandemic.

– It is easier, faster, cheaper, so I think the singles will continue to use such technology, he says.

Thuen has no doubt that many people use video to talk to each other for the first time, but says that video calls can not replace physical meetings in the long run.

– If you want to explore if there are emotions there, you have to meet physically, he says.

Researchers know Kinsey Institute researches social and sexual behavior, intimate relationships, including variation in monogamy, intimacy, gender, flirting, dating, passion, satisfaction, and reproductive strategies.

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