One in three single Irish adults are not interested in finding a new partner, a Core study shows. The number of single people in Ireland has increased to 1.2 million, with 34 per cent of women and 28 per cent of men saying they are “not interested in meeting anyone at this time”, highlighting the changing dating landscape across the nation.
With regards to dating practices, interviewees chose conventional methods over digital apps, with 43 three per cent of women hoping to meet new partners through friends or family, compared to 38 per cent of men. Loved ones’ opinions also count when it comes to finding a new partner, with 48 per cent of women heeding the views of family and friends.
That said, the rise in social media has provided a new avenue to dating.
One in five 25-34 year olds met their partner through apps and dating websites. With online privacy a hot topic, 65 per cent believe that people will focus more on their data privacy in 2020. Yet, only 30 per cent say this is a trend that is important to them personally, with older people more cautious when it comes to sharing information.
Only one in four say it is personally important to them that people will reduce their social media use and 69 per cent of adults believe people will not reduce their social media use. As dating apps require personal information, people need to consider the trade-off between their privacy and giving away their data for the possibility of meeting someone new.
While online dating is considered to be inclusive, many believe it can have a bad effect on dating, with 55 per cent of adults saying dating apps have made people more shallow and 42 per cent saying they “would take into consideration what they have on social media,” with the same percentage saying they would consider what their friends or family think.
Further insights from the Core study include:
- 26 per cent of single people believe dating apps are only for young people;
- Half of single men and 64 per cent of single women believe self-fulfilment and learning about yourself is easier to do when single;
- 40 per cent of single men and 38 per cent of single women believe dating multiple people is fine once all parties involved are aware of it;
- 55 per cent of single men and 69 per cent of single women believe there are double standards when it comes to what is okay for men to do versus what is okay for women to do;
- 25 per cent of single men and 12 per cent of single women believe people should get married and have kids by a certain age
The research focuses on single men and women’s dating and relationship preferences and investigates whether these changing life expectations are having an impact on how and when we form relationships. Based on the views of 1,000 participants, which included 320 single people, the methodology focused on four key questions:
- How are people in relationships meeting?
- How do singles think they would meet someone in comparison to how they would prefer to meet someone?
- What are people’s attitudes towards the recent changes in the dating landscape?
- Are their influences in delaying traditional milestones?
To view the full findings of the Core Dating 2020 report, click here
https://onecore.ie/intel/research/dating-relationships-2020/
