Romance
blossoms on the internet, but there is still public concern about
the safety of online dating…A
new Pew Internet report shows that dating sites are just one of many
online avenues that facilitate romantic connections
WASHINGTON,
March 5, 2006 –There is now broad public awareness of the online
dating world, and the internet users who are actively seeking dates
have found a variety of ways to pursue their romantic interests
online.
Some 31%
of American adults say they know someone who has used a dating
website and 15% of American adults – about 30 million people – say
they know someone who has been in a long-term relationship or
married someone he or she met online.
While online dating is becoming more commonplace, there are
strong concerns in the wider public about the dangers of
posting personal information on dating sites and about the
honesty of those who pursue online dating. Some 66% of
internet users agree with the statement that online dating
is dangerous because it puts personal information online.
And 57% of internet users agree with the statement that a
lot of people who use online dating sites lie about their
marital status.
These are some of the main findings in a new report from the
Pew Internet & American Life Project entitled, “Online
Dating.”
The survey found that those who describe themselves as
single and looking for a partner comprise about 7% of the
online adult population. Among this cohort of about 10
million internet-using adults, 74% have done at least one
dating-related activity online—ranging from using dating
websites, to searching for information about prospective
dates, to flirting via email and instant messaging, to
browsing for information about the local singles scene.
“Those who are looking for dates have learned to use the
internet both as a roadmap for the offline world and as a
destination to meet people,” said Mary Madden, Research
Specialist at the Pew Internet Project and co-author of the
report.
Some 11% of internet users, about 16 million people, say
they have gone to dating websites and a majority of them say
they have had positive experiences and believe their use of
such sites helps them to find a better match. A notable
number of these online daters have found firsthand that
lasting romance can be forged online; 17% of them, or
roughly 3 million people, say they have entered long-term
relationships or married someone they met through the
services.
Another distinguishing feature of the dating scene in the
digital age is the newfound ability for singles to “Google”
each other or search online for information relating to a
potential date before they meet or even agree to meet. Of
those internet users who are single and looking for romantic
partners, 17% have searched for information about someone
they were currently dating or were about to meet for a first
date.
“Whether you meet someone offline or online, email and other
forms of online communication now play host to some of the
most crucial interactions in the early stages of a
relationship,” said Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research
Specialist and co-author of the report. Indeed, a
substantial segment of single and looking internet users,
40%, say they flirt online, and 28% have used the internet
or email to ask someone out on a date.
However, many who use the websites don’t take that extra
step to follow through with an in-person meeting. Just 43%
of the online daters in our sample, about 7 million, said
they had gone on a date with someone they met through the
sites.
These findings are based on a national survey of 3,215
adults conducted last fall by the Pew Internet & American
Life Project looking at the place of online dating in the
larger picture of romance on the internet and relationships
in America. The margin of error for responses based on all
adults is ± 2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
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