Dating site Match sees huge increase in traffic as Brits’ quarantine quest for love escalates over Easter
- Match sees 37 per cent rise in registrations and 48 per cent rise in messages sent on the site over the Easter weekend (compared to the same period last year)
- Single Brits are dedicating an average of seven hours a week to online dating during the Coronavirus pandemic
- Almost half (47 per cent) say they’re hoping to meet a partner during lockdown and a third (31 per cent) have agreed to a virtual date
New data from dating experts Match, has shown a huge increase in traffic on the site over the Easter weekend, as single Brits turned to online dating to get them through the eggs-tensive four-day holiday. Registrations were up by over a third (37 per cent) compared to the same period last year and messages sent on the site also doubled with a 48 per cent increase*. This comes as the UK enters its fourth week of social distancing, spurring on singles in their quarantine quest for love.
Further research from Match** has revealed that single Brits are now dedicating an average of seven hours a week to online dating as time that was previously spent commuting, going to the gym or socialising at the pub is now dedicated to looking for love. What’s more, almost half of single Brits (47 per cent) say they’re hoping to meet their partner during the pandemic now they have the time to devote to their love lives. And almost a third (31 per cent) have already agreed to a virtual date in the absence of being able to physically meet up.
With over half (56 per cent) admitting all the news surrounding the pandemic has highlighted their want for a partner and over two thirds (68 per cent) feeling that it is an unsettling time to be alone, it seems online dating is providing the comfort blanket many are craving.
Match’s dating expert Hayley Quinn says: “‘The arrival of spring traditionally makes us feel motivated to start dating, but with social distancing still in place over the Easter weekend, single Brits have had to seek alternative, virtual ways to make romantic connections. While some may have been stuck inside thinking, ‘I wish I had met someone before all this happened’, it turns out that there has never been a better opportunity to date. The data implies we could be seeing those who had never considered online dating turn to dating apps for the first time and that we could be having better-quality conversations as responses are given the thought and time that they deserve. Social distancing will eventually end, so set yourself up for successful dating on the other side by laying the groundwork now!”
Match is currently donating €1 for every new subscriber to various organisations across Europe. In the UK, the Maudsley Charity has been chosen as the beneficiary, to support front line NHS staff and patients during the current pandemic.