Dating Statistics 2026

Key Highlights

Of US adults have used a dating site or app at some point; 6% are using one right now

37%

Of US adults have used a dating site or app at some point; 6% are using one right now

Source: SSRS — The Public and Online Dating 2026 (2 February 2026) · n=2,012 US adults · fielded 2–4 and 16–20 January 2026 · MoE ±2.5pp

Of dating app users report burnout — 80% of women and 74% of men

78%

Of dating app users report burnout — 80% of women and 74% of men

Source: Forbes Health / OnePoll — Dating app burnout survey (10 May 2024) · n=1,000 US adults who used a dating app in the past year · fielded 27 March – 1 April 2024 · MoE ±3.1pp

Of US adults think meeting an app match in person is generally safe; 43% think it is not

57%

Of US adults think meeting an app match in person is generally safe; 43% think it is not

Source: SSRS — The Public and Online Dating 2026 (2 February 2026) · n=2,012 US adults · fielded 2–4 and 16–20 January 2026 · MoE ±2.5pp

📱Dating App Usage

Online dating is no longer a fringe behaviour: more than a third of US adults have used a dating site or app at some point. But in the same survey the share using one right now is far smaller — most people try these apps and leave.

Of US adults have used a dating site or app at some point; 6% are using one right now

37%

Of US adults have used a dating site or app at some point; 6% are using one right now

Source: SSRS — The Public and Online Dating 2026 (2 February 2026) · n=2,012 US adults · fielded 2–4 and 16–20 January 2026 · MoE ±2.5pp

Of 18–29 year olds (51%) and 30–49 year olds (53%) have used online dating

51-53%

Of 18–29 year olds (51%) and 30–49 year olds (53%) have used online dating

Source: SSRS — The Public and Online Dating 2026 (2 February 2026) · n=2,012 US adults · fielded 2–4 and 16–20 January 2026 · MoE ±2.5pp

😮‍💨Burnout & Experience

Beneath that drop-off lies a serious burnout problem. A large majority of dating app users find the experience exhausting, and burnout is more widespread among women than men.

Of dating app users report burnout — 80% of women and 74% of men

78%

Of dating app users report burnout — 80% of women and 74% of men

Source: Forbes Health / OnePoll — Dating app burnout survey (10 May 2024) · n=1,000 US adults who used a dating app in the past year · fielded 27 March – 1 April 2024 · MoE ±3.1pp

💬The Power of Asking Questions

Some of that fatigue comes from the mechanics themselves. Survey data and field experiments point the same way: people who ask real questions get more second dates — yet most daters feel their own dates do not ask enough.

Speed dates analysed: those who asked more follow-up questions received more second-date offers

1,961

Speed dates analysed: those who asked more follow-up questions received more second-date offers

Source: Huang, Yeomans, Brooks, Minson & Gino — It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking — Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 113(3), 430–452 (September 2017) · 110 speed daters · 15–19 four-minute dates each · 1,961 second-date decisions analysed (Study 3)

🛡️Safety Perception

Safety perception is inseparable from this picture, and it splits sharply by gender. Women are close to twice as likely as men to say meeting an app match in person is not safe.

Of US adults think meeting an app match in person is generally safe; 43% think it is not

57%

Of US adults think meeting an app match in person is generally safe; 43% think it is not

Source: SSRS — The Public and Online Dating 2026 (2 February 2026) · n=2,012 US adults · fielded 2–4 and 16–20 January 2026 · MoE ±2.5pp

Of women say meeting a match is not safe, against 30% of men — the sharpest gender gap in the data

55% / 30%

Of women say meeting a match is not safe, against 30% of men — the sharpest gender gap in the data

Source: SSRS — The Public and Online Dating 2026 (2 February 2026) · n=2,012 US adults · fielded 2–4 and 16–20 January 2026 · MoE ±2.5pp

Methodology

Every figure on this page comes from a published primary study and is shown with its publisher, report title, publication date and sample size. We publish no number we cannot trace and verify, and we remove figures whose source is superseded. Qulo does not use its own platform data on this page. Sources were last verified individually on 1 September 2026.

Who Publishes This Report?

Qulo is a dating app that brings innovation to the industry with question-based matching. Instead of swiping, it uses quiz mechanics to enable deeper and more meaningful connections.