Research shows dating apps, sites are leading to more diverse couples

The so-called "traditional" way of dating has changed drastically over time, especially in the last decade. While most couples used to meet through families and friends or local organizations like church, according to University of New Mexico Sociology Professor Reuben Thomas, many American couples now meet online.

With so many people on dating apps or sites since 2010, Thomas wanted to answer one question: Are people who find a romantic partner online more likely to end up with a partner who is different than them, in terms of race, religion, age, and education? His research shows the answer is yes in almost every category except for age.

According to Thomas' research, published in 2020, couples who date online are more likely to end up in an interracial relationship and date someone from a different religious background or college degree level.

"People mostly have a circle of friends who are people of the same ethnicity, religion, even social class, so meeting people through them, they tend to meet people of the same religion, ethnicity, race, and social class as themselves," Thomas said. "When you go online, you can meet anybody in the metropolitan area and if you're willing to travel, anybody even farther, and that's suddenly a much more diverse starting place to find love."

Research also shows online daters are more likely to be similar in age than if they met offline. "Online dating spaces, all of them, make age a primary factor in how you sort for potential matches, it's like the first thing you see," Thomas said. "So, it makes sense when you think about how people navigate online spaces, and this is where the interface really matters."

While data shows the apps can produce more diversity, Thomas says racial bias is still prevalent online, showing some ugly patterns.

"On the apps, people can, if they choose, behave in ways that exhibit a lot of racial bias, and we see that. People are far more likely to like, message, or respond to people of the same racial group as themselves. But it's not overwhelming, and there's enough openness in what people do on the apps that still generate a lot of interracial couples, more so than offline," Thomas said. "When you start at a much more diverse starting point for how you find love, even if there's a lot of racial bias going on, it's still starting from a place of much greater potential diversity."

While the research doesn't explore what apps are used the most, it does give insight into other aspects; while more young adults are dating online, the middle-aged demographic is more likely to find their partner online. Research from other experts also found men tend to do most of the messaging and there's no difference in the stability of the relationship between online and offline. However, people who find their match on an app or site tend to spend less time dating before getting married to them.

"Often when you meet someone offline, it's a slow percolating thing where they're a friend then more than a friend," Thomas said. "When people meet online, they have already decided they want to be in a relationship before they log on, that's the point of creating the account, so they're ready to take that next step."

While the research is now a few years old and some aspects may be different in 2024, Thomas believes the popularity of dating apps hasn't changed and online dating is here to stay.

"No matter what, the dating scene can be unpleasant, but online dating takes more of the work and puts it in the hands of the dater and I think it matches up with our culture, people wanting to be in charge of their own lives and identity," he said. "I don't see (dating apps) going away, there's not an alternative on the horizon that makes more sense or is more desirable for most people."

According to the Pew Reserach Center in 2023, three in ten U.S. adults have used a dating site or app.

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