Men are looking for love online, women less so

SINGAPORE — Men are looking for love online, but the odds are not in their favour. In a survey, 86 per cent of those who used an app or website to find a life partner are men, with women making up the remaining 14 per cent. The figures are closer for those who use online dating websites or apps to meet new people.

According to Ipsos, a typical local online dater looking for a life partner would be a white-collar Chinese male, between 25 to 29 years old, who has graduated from university and works in business services.

Making the search for a life partner online much harder is the fact that just one out of 10 Singaporeans surveyed were found to have used an online dating site or app. Of these, 56 per cent have used it to meet new people or make friends while some 3 per cent admitted to using it for hook-ups.

Generally, Singaporeans who use the platform to make friends are less cautious about meeting up with someone in real life, with 63 per cent eventually meeting up compared to 48 per cent for those who are looking for a life partner. Women are generally less likely to meet with someone they met online compared to men.

The survey also showed that six out of 10 Singaporeans prefer not to pay for a dating service but nearly two out of 10 said they would be willing to pay up to S$100. Some 4 per cent were willing to pay up to S$2,000 for a dating service.

There is still a stigma to online dating in Singapore, the survey found. Singaporeans are likely to concoct cover stories for their parents and friends, instead of admitting they met their partners online. “This indicates that Singaporeans keep this aspect of their life private from family and close friends, possible to ward off stigma of online dating in Asia,” said Mr Joseph Chua, Managing Director, Ipsos (Singapore).

Nonetheless, Singaporeans are positive about the outcomes of online dating: Four out of ten Singaporeans felt both offline and offline methods of dating offered similar chances of finding someone.

Some 1,002 Singaporeans, between the age of 16 to 64 years old, took part in the survey conducted in January 2016. 449 men and 553 women, predominantly single and Chinese, were interviewed. Of those surveyed, 34 per cent said they were currently in a relationship with someone they did not meet online, while only two per cent were dating someone they met online.

In a recent Facebook post, Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo wrote that Singaporeans need to be open to other ways of expanding their social networks. She suggested they emulate young Koreans who are now turning to the Internet in search of love.