Table of Contents
Overview
-
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definition
- COVID-19: US context
Executive Summary
-
- Top takeaways
- Market overview
-
- Figure 1: Current relationship status, among total adults, October 2020
- Impact of COVID-19 on singles and dating
-
- Figure 2: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on digital dating, December 2020
- Challenges and Opportunities
- Opportunity: understand the ends of the singles’ spectrum
-
- Figure 3: Marital status of adults aged 18 years old and over, by age, 2019
-
- Figure 4: Top activities done with others, among true singles, October 2020
-
- Figure 5: True singles, by age and gender, October 2020
- Challenge: reduce toxicity of dating apps for women
- Challenge: make ‘em laugh
-
- Figure 6: Traits adults look for in a partner, October 2020
- Opportunity: celebrate singlehood
-
- Figure 7: Current relationship status, among true singles, October 2020
Understanding Unmarried Americans – Key Takeaways
-
- Single adults tend to fall into one of two groups
- Only three in 10 unmarried adults live alone
- Marriage means money
- COVID-19 gave dating apps a boost
- Pandemic trends can lead to opportunity and innovation
Unmarried Americans by the Numbers
-
- About half of all adults are unmarried
-
- Figure 8: Marital status of adults aged 18 years old and over, 2019
- Figure 9: Percentage of unmarried men and women aged 15 years old and over, 2019
- Americans are waiting longer to get married
-
- Figure 10: Estimated median age at first marriage, 1950-2019
- Most singles fall on either end of the age spectrum
-
- Figure 11: Marital status of adults aged 18 years old and over, by age, 2019
- Unmarried women outnumber unmarried men
-
- Figure 12: Unmarried population aged 18 years old and over, in millions, 2019
- Majority of Black men and women are unmarried
-
- Figure 13: Percentage of men and women who are unmarried, by race and Hispanic origin, 2019
- Unmarried parents are more likely to be women
-
- Figure 14: Parents with co-resident children under 18, by living arrangement, 2019
Living Arrangements
-
- Majority of single adults do not live alone
-
- Figure 15: Living arrangements of unmarried adults aged 18 and over, 2019
- Half of Gen Z adults live with their parents
-
- Figure 16: Living arrangements of adults aged 18-34, 2019
- Most singles living solo are seniors
-
- Figure 17: Living arrangements of unmarried adults aged 18 and over, 2019
Financial Factors
-
- Never-marrieds earn the least
-
- Figure 18: Median income of adults aged 18+ who worked full-time, year-round, 2019
- Marriage and cohabitation offer the benefit of dual incomes
-
- Figure 19: Median income of adults aged 18+ who worked full-time, year-round, 2019
- Marriage must be earned
Impact of COVID on Singles and Dating
-
-
- Figure 20: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on digital dating, December 2020
- Lockdown: March-June 2020
-
- Figure 21: Dating While Distancing :30s – Anita and Matthew, June 2020
- Re-emergence: July 2020-December 2021
-
- Figure 22: Match Made In Hell, December 2020
- Recovery: 2022-2025
- Learnings from the last recession
-
- Figure 23: US marriage rates, 1900–2018
-
Market Opportunities
-
- Humor-typing could be the new swiping
- Fix the broken parts of online dating
- Battle the bots
- Make apps anti-racist
- Make dating more appealing for women
- Empower single people to feel good about being single
-
- Figure 24: Image from Ikea’s product support webpage, December 2020
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
-
- Match Group brands dominate dating app market
- Original content can help define a brand’s personality
- Extending into new categories can give dating apps more earning options
- Bumble generates buzz
Competitive Strategies
-
- Dating apps strive to differentiate themselves
- Extending brands into new spaces
- Creating entertainment content
- Brands encourage honesty and authenticity
- Leaning into politics
-
- Figure 25: OKCupid Instagram post, January 2020
- Encouraging users to be themselves
-
- Figure 26: Megan Thee Stallion | #PYOTChallenge | Tinder, December 2020
- Bumble reorganizes and rebrands
- Female first
- Values-driven
- More than just dating
- Strategic partnerships
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
-
- Single, not sorry
- Looks may fade, but funny is forever
- Match Group brands dominate app landscape
- Social distancing keeps some singles cut off
Defining Singles
-
- Not all singles are truly single
- Cohabitation creates class of pseudo-singles
- Three in 10 American adults are not in a serious relationship
-
- Figure 27: Current relationship status, among total adults, October 2020
- COVID-19 has not dramatically impacted singles’ romantic goals
-
- Figure 28: Relationship status for most of 2019 vs current status, among true singles, October 2020
- Most singles seem content to be uncoupled
- Senior singles
-
- Figure 29: Current relationship status, among true singles, October 2020
-
- Figure 30: True singles’ current relationship status, by gender, October 2020
- Gen Z singles offer most potential for dating apps
- Most Black singles are content to go solo
-
- Figure 31: True singles, by key demographics, October 2020
Desirable Traits for a Partner
-
- Sense of humor can make or break a relationship
- The progression of a relationship reveals what’s important
-
- Figure 32: Traits adults look for in a partner, October 2020
- Women place greater importance on age than men
- Professional achievement is more important to women
-
- Figure 33: Traits Americans look for in a partner, October 2020
Meeting Potential Partners
-
- Two thirds of singles say they typically meet people the old-fashioned way
- One in 10 singles are open to finding love in the video game community
-
- Figure 34: Ways singles meet people to date, October 2020
- Men take a more direct approach to meeting potential mates
-
- Figure 35: Ways singles meet people to date, by gender, October 2020
- Meetings made in public places may not blossom into a relationship
-
- Figure 36: Ways couples met their current partners, October 2020
- LGBTQ+ couples more likely to meet online
-
- Figure 37: Ways couples met their current partners, straight vs LGBTQ+, October 2020
Dating App Perceptions
-
- Three brands boast greater consumer awareness than other dating apps
-
- Figure 38: Awareness of dating app brands, October 2020
- Use of dating apps is not widespread among true singles
- Eharmony is well-known but not among the most-used brands
-
- Figure 39: Use of dating app brands, among singles, October 2020
- Tinder carries a reputation for casual hookups
- Bumble and Hinge share positive perceptions
-
- Figure 40: Correspondence Analysis – Symmetrical map – App brand personalities, October 2020
Pandemic-era Socializing
-
- Few singles feel comfortable in away-from-home settings
-
- Figure 41: Comfort with previously mundane daily activities, November 2020
- Most singles have lived quiet lives during the pandemic
-
- Figure 42: Top activities done alone, among true singles, October 2020
- Relationships with friends are central to lives of most singles
- In their words: Singles miss their friends
- Seeing friends in person
- Restaurants remain a place for singles to socialize
-
- Figure 43: Top activities done with others, among true singles, October 2020
- COVID-19 can’t stop the search for love
-
- Figure 44: Activities done on a date, among true singles, October 2020
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
-
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Generations
Appendix – The Market
-
-
- Figure 45: Occupation of employed Black or African Americans, by gender, 2019
-
Appendix – The Consumer
-
-
- Figure 46: Relationship status for most of 2019, among true singles, October 2020
-
- Figure 47: Awareness and use of dating app brands, based to total respondents, October 2020
-
- Figure 48: Activities done with friends, among true singles, October 2020
-
- Figure 49: Activities done alone, among true singles, October 2020
-
- Figure 50: Top activities done alone, among true singles, October 2020
-
- Figure 51: Top activities done alone, among true singles, February 2020
- Correspondence Analysis
- Methodology
-
- Figure 52: App brand personalities, October 2020
-
Back to top