The pandemic has forced many single people to think differently about how they approach both dating and romantic interactions with other people. Previously it was very easy to meet new people and go on dates in public. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed that because many people are afraid of meeting and interacting on dates because of health and safety concerns.
Basic Seltzer recently surveyed 2,000 unmarried millennials and Gen Zers to learn more about how sex and dating has changed during the pandemic. They wanted to see how people are adapting to virtual dating, virtual hookups and whether or not the same rules of dating apply to virtual dating during the pandemic. Let’s take a deeper look at the findings of their survey.
The first part of the survey asked respondents how they have dated during the pandemic and what were their takeaways from virtual dating. First let’s start out with the positive. Virtual daters during the pandemic said they were dealing with less games when it comes to dating. 79% of virtual daters said that people they dated were playing less games and were more straightforward with what they did and didn’t want from people they were dating.
Of course, not everything was positive news. Over 74% of surveyed respondents said that the pandemic has caused them to be physically separated from the person they were dating. Many relationships have suffered because people are not able to be physically present like they normally would. As far as what actual dates have looked like during the pandemic, the survey from Basic Seltzer found that it has been a mix of in person dating and virtual and a little bit of a mix of both for some people.
45% of surveyed respondents said that they have dated exclusively in person during the pandemic. These people still decided it was worth the risk to meet new people and find love by meeting in person. 22% of surveyed respondents reported a shift to all virtual dating. These people embraced the wonders of technology to stay safe while also meeting new people. We will talk more about virtual dating and what that looked like in the section below. Finally, 33% of surveyed respondents said they embraced a mix of both in person dating and virtual dating. Many of these people started off with virtual dates and once they became more comfortable with the other person they decided to meet in person. This allows these people to carefully choose the people they are dating before actually meeting in person. On a positive note, 63% of these people said they will keep virtual dates in their post-pandemic repertoire as a way to meet and screen new people into their lives.
Virtual dating trends during the pandemic
So, one big takeaway from this survey is that many single people in America have embraced the idea of virtual dating and plan to continue to virtual date once the pandemic is over. It might not come as a surprise to see the dating has not looked the same during the COVID-19 9pandemic. 70% of single Americans said that they have approached how they date differently than they normally would because of the pandemic. 56% of people said they were impressed with the different ways they’ve tried to date, whoever 44% said they would like to get back to the old ways of dating and meeting in person.
Basic Seltzer asked more questions to learn about what people liked about virtual dating and what they disliked. They found that 55% of single Americans reported that they have tried virtual dating during the COVID-19 pandemic. 72% of virtual daters said they get a good sense of chemistry with a new person they have just met over video chat. 60% of virtual daters report that they have at some point felt exclusive with dating another person. So, there are some people who feel that people are only virtually dating one person at a time.
All this news is not necessarily positive though. 56% of people who have tried virtual dating say that they have been stool up at one point. If you thought that ghosting was going to stop because of the pandemic, you were wrong. Despite being stood up on virtual dates, 63% of virtual daters said they would try virtual dating again once the pandemic is over.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact on how often people decide to become intimate with others. 70% of American dates said the pandemic has impacted how quickly they become intimate with someone else. 27% said it has impacted this a lot while 46% say it has impacted intimacy but only a little bit. 27% said the pandemic has not impacted how quickly they become intimate with someone else. The COVID-19 has also led to sexual frustration for some daters. 72% of virtual daters said they have felt frustrated by their intimacy levels at some point during the pandemic.
The frequency of intimacy has also been impacted because of the pandemic. 59% of people surveyed reported being intimate more than usual while 25% reported less intimacy than usual. 19% said they reported about the same level of intimacy as before the pandemic. Virtual hook ups have also increased during the pandemic. 58% of people surveyed said they have tried a virtual hook up during the pandemic.
It’s certainly interesting to see how people have chosen to interact with others romantically during the pandemic. Many people dating will go back to dating how they did before the pandemic, where others will be eager to embrace virtual dating more moving forward. The pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to reflect on how we meet people and how we choose to be honest with others about what they want from a romantic relationship. Many people have also found love during this crazy pandemic and that should be celebrated. The full survey results from Basic Seltzer can be seen in the graphic below.
Infographic by: drinkbasic
