Online Dating
Perceptions
Market Research Survey
May 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction...3
Online Dating Report...4
Vizu Answers Appendix
Our Network...9
Our Partner: OkCupid...12
OBJECTIVE
To assess public opinion regarding the uses and perceptions of online dating services.
METHODOLOGY
The 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 SUMMARY
Nearly 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.
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?
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.
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?
Select 1 Respondents: 301 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.
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?
Select 1 Respondents: 239
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.
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?
Select 1 Respondents: 486
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.
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.
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”
Welcome to Vizu Answers.
The Internet’s First Research Network.
Vizu Answers allows you to conduct custom market research quickly, easily, and at an af-fordable price.
If you want an answer, the key is asking the right people. Our diverse network of publishers makes that possible by providing you access to their unique audiences.
VIZU ANSWERS
• Custom data delivered in as little as 24 hours • Targeted respondent audiences
• Do-it-yourself convenience and ease • 24/7 availability • Costs $100’s, not $1000’s CLIENTS • corporations • consultants • researchers • individuals • small businesses • web sites • networks • blogs • portals • retailers PUBLISHERS VOTES TARGETED POLLS TARGETED POLLS ANSWERS QUESTIONS ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Answers
“
Vizu’s simplicity andeffectiveness is unmatched. The speed at which you can create a survey, distribute it to the web and gain real consumer
VIZU ANSWERS WORKS FOR MANY TYPES OF QUESTIONS…
• Consumer Insights • Concept Research • Public Opinion • Product Research • Investment Insights • Graphic Design • Menu Design • And MORE…
FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN GET STARTED TODAY
Contact:
Brett Powell, EVP Business Development
415-362-8498 x15
“
Vizu Answers is an innovative way to promptly obtain consumer insights.
”
- Betty Chen, Institutional Research,READER FRIENDLY WEB SITE MONETIZATION
Vizu Answers is an innovative way for Publishers
to generate additional revenue for their Web site(s)
Instead of serving banners or text links from advertising networks.
Vizu Answers pays you to host interactive Web polls. The polls only appear in locations that you specify and are from individuals and organizations that pay you to ask questions of your users.
ENHANCE YOUR SITE
• Voting does not take visitors away from your site • Polls fi t the look and feel of your site
• Polls are interactive and encourage use participation • Polls provide content targeted to your audience
GETTING STARTED IS EASY AND FREE…
1. Register at VizuAnswers.com and create an account 2. Design your Poll template(s) and set your pricing 3. Paste the Vizu Answers Poll Zone code into your site(s)
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.