Online Dating Perceptions - PRWebww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2007/05/18/527599/OnlineDating...2007/05/18...

Online DatingPerceptionsMarket Research SurveyMay 2007

Vizu Corporation, 463 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133Phone: 415 362 8498 Email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2007, Vizu Corporation

In partnership with

Market Research by www.VizuAnswers.comCopyright © 2007, Vizu Corporation page 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction..............................3Online Dating Report...............................4Vizu Answers Appendix Our Network....................................9 Our Partner: OkCupid.........................12 OBJECTIVETo assess public opinion regarding the uses and perceptions of online dating services.

METHODOLOGYThe survey was conducted via the VizuAnswers online research network.

Respondents participated on April 18-22, 2007.

Each question was presented on more than 40 English language websites.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYNearly half of of respondents admit to having tried online dating sites in some way, with 20% actually using the sites, and 29% admitting to at least peeking at profiles.

More than two-thirds of online daters like being matched through compatibility questionnaires.

Of those using dating sites, 72% prefer free services over subscription-based services.

While 72% of general respondents think there is still a social stigma applied to online dating, 64% would shed that stigma if they found their significant other online, and would tell the truth about how they met.


INTRODUCTION

Vizu has partnered with the online dating service OkCupid to survey the current state of the online dating industry, and determine how perceptions may be changing as the industry grows.

We set out to determine just how much online dating is permeating our social lives. Of course we start with the simple question of how many people are dating online. But more than that, how many people are on the fringe, perhaps peeking at profiles, mingling with friends who are playing the online dating game.

Going deeper, we wanted to know what online daters look for, both in their matches, and in the service itself. Does service and presentation make a difference? Does cost make a difference?

Conversely, what are the deal breakers? What turns people off? What installs the hair-trigger on the mouse button, and makes someone reject a potential soulmate without hesitation?

These are our answers.


ONLINE DATING RESEARCH

More than half of respondents claim to have never used an dating site, implying a limited reach of the online dating industry.

That audience, however, is just barely a majority. Another 49% have participated in at least a small way, including a very curious 29% who admit to browsing the prospects among dating profiles.

Then consider the 54% of respondents who know at least one other person who participates in online dating. Collectively, the audience reached by the online dating industry is substantial.

To what degree have you used an online dating site?

Select 1 Respondents: 284

10.6% I’ve paid for a membership.

51.1% I’ve never used an online dating web site.

28.5% I’ve browsed profiles.

9.9% I’ve tried a free trial.


Do you know anyone who has used an online dating web site?

54.1% Yes.

40.8% No.

5.1% Unsure.


HOW & HOW LONG DO DATERS LOOK FOR A MATCH?

Daters are committed to the act of dating, and willing to put time into their search.

True, of the time periods listed, instant gratification wins, with nearly 40% bowing out within one month.

Yet it should be noted that many subscription-based dating sites offer one-month free trials. Disregarding those one-month users, the remaining daters are in it for the long haul, with more than 60% staying on for a few months or longer.

During their search, online daters prefer to optimize their effort. More than two-thirds of respondents agree that compatibility-based matchmaking services are the way to go.

How long would you use an online dating site before giving up on it

if you hadn’t found a relationship?


37.7% One month or less.

22.8% 2-3 months.

17.2% 4-6 months.

22.2% More than 6 months.


Would you prefer that a dating site recommends people who

might be compatible with you?

68.0% Yes.

19.3% No.

12.8% Unsure.


COST IS AN ISSUE

Cost is clearly a sticking point with online daters. Those preferring free dating sites outnumber those who prefer subscription-based sites five to one.

Meanwhile, the majority consider social networking sites, which are also free, to be comparable to specifically dating-focused sites in their relationship-making capabilities.

Which type of dating sites do you prefer?


33.9% Free sites.

6.7% Subscription/Pay sites.

6.3% No preference.

53.1% I do not use online dating sites.


Do social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook) serve the same purpose as

dating sites (Match, eHarmony)?

56.0% Yes.

31.6% No.

12.4% Unsure.


Perception, or Reality?

Some might say that “we met online” doesn’t have the same ring to it as the story of how our grandparents met.

Indeed, with 72% of respondents confirming this perception of a stigma placed on Internet matchmaking, clearly there is still some discomfort with the technology-based path to romance.

However, the tides turn once that match is made. Once couples make the love connection, 64% feel no such stigma when telling their friends exactly how they came together.

Do you think there is a social stigma associated with

online dating?


71.8% Yes.

28.2% No.

If you met your significant other online, what do/would you tell

people about how you met?


64.1% The truth...we met online.

35.9% We tell another story.


The Usual Suspects Make for Online Dating Dealbreakers

Who is the online dater looking for?

For starters, he or she is looking, literally, with eyes scouring photos. Online daters, 58% of them, want first to see their potential date. They want pictures more than all other descriptive criteria combined.

So if they know what they like when they see it, what don’t they like? We presented the same question twice, offering both physical and lifestyle characteristics as responses.


Which online dating profile criteria would most likely make you reject someone?

22.5% Smoking.

10.3% Drinking.

10.6% Religion.

10.3% Politics.

9.4% Education.

5.0% Income.

32.0% Children.

On dating web sites, what single element of a person’s profile is

most important to you?

58.3% Pictures

6.6% Personal stats (ht, wt, age, etc.)

8.3% Personal beliefs (politics, religion)

6.2% Interests & hobbies

10.7% Self-written personal description

10.0% Other/Not Listed.


Which online dating profile criteria would most likely make you reject someone?

33.1 % Age.

5.3% Height.

45.3% Weight.

3.3% Hair.

4.5% Eye color.

8.6% Skin color.


To the lifestyle answers, having children and/or smoking were the top turnoffs. Political position, religous affiliation, education level and a propensity for alcohol were in a virtual dead heat in terms of soliciting rejection. Money can’t buy me love? Indeed. Income was the least concern.

As for physical characteristics, almost half of all respondents would reject a potential online date based on the person’s weight. Another third wouldn not accept someone outside of their target age range. Everything else is comparatively irrelevant.


RESEARCH NETWORK OVERVIEW“UNTIL NOW, MOST RESEARCH HAS BEEN

LIMITED BY A LACK OF TIME, MONEY, OR KNOW HOW”

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OkCupid (www.okcupid.com) is the fastest growing free, online dating site in the United

States with more than two million monthly unique users and 500,000 active daters.

Launched in 2004, OkCupid members take entertaining personality quizzes and answer

compatibility questions to create their own customized matching algorithm. Unlike

any other personals site, OkCupid’s proprietary matching system uses these answers

and advanced mathematical algorithms to recommend compatible users.

OUR PARTNER: OkCupid (www.okcupid.com)

To date, more than 150 million compatibility questions have been answered by OkCupid

users and more than 100,000 new member accounts are created every month. For

additional information or to join OkCupid, please visit http://www.okcupid.com.


Online Dating Perceptions - PRWebww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2007/05/18/527599/OnlineDating...2007/05/18...

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