We take the best academic papers and summarize them in plain English so you can improve your idating site, and help your users make better connections.
Title: The Social Demography Of Internet Dating In The United States
Published In: Social Science Quarterly, 2010
Authors: Jessica Sautter, Rebecca Tippett and S.Philip Morgan all of Duke University
Contact: [email protected]
Full Report: http://www.duke.edu/~jms55/dating.pdf
Pages: 31
Summary, In Plain English:
Summarized by Mark Brooks, Principal, Courtland Brooks
The internet dating business and it's presence in media and pop culture is growing quite rapidly. Its too early to really see how internet dating is really impacting mate selection, but we can at least see who and how people are using online personals. The worldwide population of singles is growing and people are becoming more and more mobile. At the same time, there are less real-world social dating options for singles. People move more often and lose their close connections with their networks of friends, where they would normally meet potential dates.
In 1999 only 2% of American singles had used idating. By 2002, 25% had used idating and the business had grown to $304 million a year. The industry passed $1 billion in 2008 and will grow 10% a year on average through 2013, despite the recession. The growth has been caused by a general rise in computer literacy, more dating sites, more singles, and a growing acceptance of idating.
Not everyone has access to the benefits of internet dating. White people, those with higher incomes, and those who live in suburbs and cities are more likely to have access. There's a definite 'digital divide.'
There are more singles these days. In 1970 40% of U.S. women and 35% of men were single. In 2003 48% of men and 45% of women were single. And people are marrying later. In 1970 women got married at age 21 and men at age 23. That rose by 4 years by 2003. In 2003 women married on average at age 25, and men at 27.
Compared to single internet users, internet daters use the net more often. 81% of idaters use it daily vs 63% of those who are single internet users.
Daters tend to use the net for more kinds of activities. In a survey, out of a list of 7 activities, idaters use said they used 3.15 activities vs 2.2 activities for single internet users. Internet daters tend to be more computer savvy, have social networks that include other idaters and are more positive about internet dating than internet users, and single internet users.
Higher income, and higher educated Americans are more likely to be single. Divorcees are most likely to be internet daters. Perhaps because they want to draw from circles outside of the circles of friends they formed while they were married.
Users still have concerns about idating. According to the Pew Internet & American Life data from 2006, a majority of idating users have concerns about privacy and safety, and about people lying about their marriage status. However, the use of idating is becoming a social norm as people talk to each other about their experiences dating online. People who have friends who use internet dating, are more likely to be internet daters.
Mark Brooks: Based on this information, you should:
1.Target some of your ad spends at internet power users who use multiple services and activities on portals. They are more likely to convert to become internet daters.
2.Target your social network advertising at people who have friends who have mentioned internet dating, or specific internet dating sites in their profiles.
3.Survey users when they leave your service to find out why they are leaving, and if they are happy. If they are not happy, fix whatever is broken to increase the likelihood of them giving you positive word-of-mouth referrals.
I also recommend to read the fresh International survey: "A Global Shift in the Social Relationships of Networked Individuals: Meeting and Dating Online Comes of Age" February 14, 2011 part of the "Me, My Spouse and the Internet Project" at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, supported by a grant from eHarmony
http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/publications/Me-MySpouse_GlobalReport.pdf
The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) conducted an online questionnaire with 12,500+ couples from 18 countries:
Key Findings
* Online dating is a complement rather than a substitute for offline dating.
* Online dating is more prevalent among older people (40 and over) who are seeking a relationship than it is among younger (below 40) people.
* There are discernable differences cross-nationally, and across regions, in terms of dating practices, online behaviors, and Internet use. Respondents in Japan, which is known for high technology adoption, are more reluctant to embrace online dating, whereas in Brazil, which is often seen as a site of gregarious public spaces, people tend to be more comfortable with meeting people online.
* The ways that people are seeking out partners are becoming more of a blend of offline and online networks, which has been called networked individualism, rather than simply more or less group based.
Age: The average age in the sample is 40.7. That age is 42 for men and 39 for women. The age distribution of the sample is approximately normal with a slight positive skew towards older respondents.
Posted by: Fernando Ardenghi | Mar 12, 2011 at 02:08 PM
I also recommend to read the fresh International survey: A Global Shift in the Social Relationships of Networked Individuals: Meeting and Dating Online Comes of Age February 14, 2011 part of the Me, My Spouse and the Internet Project at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, supported by a grant from eHarmony
http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/publications/Me-MySpouse_GlobalReport.pdf
The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) conducted an online questionnaire with 12,500+ couples from 18 countries:
Key Findings
* Online dating is a complement rather than a substitute for offline dating.
* Online dating is more prevalent among older people (40 and over) who are seeking a relationship than it is among younger (below 40) people.
* There are discernable differences cross-nationally, and across regions, in terms of dating practices, online behaviors, and Internet use. Respondents in Japan, which is known for high technology adoption, are more reluctant to embrace online dating, whereas in Brazil, which is often seen as a site of gregarious public spaces, people tend to be more comfortable with meeting people online.
* The ways that people are seeking out partners are becoming more of a blend of offline and online networks, which has been called networked individualism, rather than simply more or less group based.
Age: The average age in the sample is 40.7. That age is 42 for men and 39 for women. The age distribution of the sample is approximately normal with a slight positive skew towards older respondents.
+1
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