Love and dating apps .edu

With the heavy course load in college, most students don’t have the time of meeting fellow students face to face for hookups or relationships.

While some are busy focusing to graduate with good grades, others are aiming to graduate and find a partner too.

Luckily, here are some of the best dating apps which college students use online for free to connect for hookups/relationships.

With these dating apps, students can swipe through and chat with anyone they like for a hookup or for a serious relationship.

Some of the best online dating apps college students can use in 2021 are free while others are paid.

Before the invention of the computer, there was never anything like this. If you were in college then, you must have to approach anyone you like face to face and ask them out.

The purpose could be for a mere hookup or for a serious relationship.

Now that we are in a digital world, it is very easy for someone to surf the internet using dating apps to get partners.

Studies show that people in their late teens and early twenties use dating apps frequently. The survey also found out that over 75% of adults between the ages of 18 to 24 use Tinder.

Tinder is one of the best online dating apps which college students and other people use frequently in 2020.

Are you a freshman in college who is looking to connect with other students on campus? Do you feel shy to approach someone of the opposite sex face to face for hookup or relationship? Well, this article is the best bet for you.

What are the best online dating apps for college students?

There are many applications that college students use online to connect with other students on campus to build relationships or hookups.

In this article, we will focus only on the best dating apps that college students and other people use frequently to get partners.

The dating apps are free while some are paid. They include:

1. Tinder

Tinder is regarded by many as the dating platform of the Millennial generation as well as the world’s most popular dating app.

This dating app is used widely by college students. Research shows that the app has recorded over 43 billion matches to date and over half of its users are adults below the ages of 25 years.

Meanwhile, Tinder allows users to anonymously swipe to like or dislike other profiles based on their photos, a small bio, and common interests. The moment two users have “matched,” they can exchange messages immediately.

This dating app matches you with singles using your location. Initially, tinder required access to a Facebook account before one can use the app.

However, users started joining the platform with just a telephone number in August 2019.

To get started with Tinder, select a few pictures and a write a short bio. You may choose add your Instagram account. Now, it is time to swipe. If you and another user both swipe right (for yes) on each other, you become matched and start sending each other messages. 

Since Tinder is a millennial app, several college students are familiar with it. Tinder is perfect for students or persons that do not want any form of commitment in a relationship and just want to catch fun. It matches a student with strictly another student on campus.

Although Tinder is known as the “hookup app”, it is important that you state whether you are looking for just sex or a relationship.

The base of this dating app that college students use is totally free, but if you can upgrade to TinderPlus for features like “Super-likes” and “Rewind last swipe,” (when you accidentally swipe left on a hot girl). 

2. OkCupid

OkCupid is an internationally operating online dating, friendship, and formerly a social networking website and application that is based in the U.S.

All users interact with each other through private messages or an instant messaging “chat” function.

OkC was the first major dating site to offer unlimited messaging for free. It also has multiple-choice questions to match members.

You may ask, why is this online dating app preferred by college students?

Whenever we add up new friends online, we may notice that it will take a long time before we get to know their attitude. However, this makes it a bit difficult to find partners who share the same values with you on time.

In college, you’ll have lots of things occupying your mind such as studying very hard to make good grades. This actually means you don’t have the whole time to waste on someone you want to connect with. With OKCupid, your problem is solved immediately in this case.

OkC’s app has a wide variety of optional questions and matching tech. These questions helps you to have an idea of someone’s real personality.

It will also help you ask some questions to know if the person you like shares the same values with you instead of wasting the whole semester with someone who disagrees with your views.

This dating app that college students and people use is free for the basic subscription. It is recommended for a college student on a budget.

However, an A-list subscription is $4.99/month for six months, $7.99/month for three months, or $9.99/month for one month. With the A-list subscription, you can see who likes you, see when someone has read your message, etc

Read: 15 Best College Movies That Prepare You For Campus Life

3. Bumble

Bumble is a location-based social app that promotes communication between users with similar interests.

In heterosexual matches, only female users can make the first move with matched male users. The aim is for females to reduce the number of unrequested messages received from guys they do not like. But in same-sex matches, either person can send a message first.

While getting started, users can register using their phone number or Facebook profile.

Bumble uses swiping to show you, potential matches. If both users swipe right on each other, it’s a match. Bumble differs from Tinder using this feature, although matches expire after 24 hours.

The app does not focus only on dating. There are options of searching for romantic matches or, in “BFF mode”, friends. Bumble Bizz also promotes business communications.

The inclusion of BFF mode and Bumble Bizz enables college students to make new friends or professional connections on campus. Bumble is good for college students who are looking for something a little more valuable than a fling.

This dating app which is one of the best for college students has a standard membership that is free and comprehensive. You can choose to upgrade to Bumble Boost to see everyone who has right-swiped you, extend your matches by 24 hours, and rematch with expired connections

Prices may vary and may not be consistent across different locations. A week of Boost costs $8.99, a month is $24.99, three months cost $16.66 per month, and six months cost $13.33 per month.

Read: College Extracurricular Activities That You Can Start in Your College

4. Friendsy

Friendsy is a social networking platform designed only for college students. This dating app enables college students to chat, compliment, and connect with each other everywhere.

Friendsy is one of the best dating apps in 2020 that colleges students use to meet each other on campus. It gives students super-specific filtering options. In other words, students utilize the filtering options to see only freshmen in a particular major in college.

Friendsy has a swiping feature like Tinder. If you swipe right on a user you like, you then have the option to choose whether you want to be friends, date, or hook up with the user. If the user chooses the same for you, it’s a match.

Users can also send “hints” to each other which is basically a notification that lets a student know if someone is interested in them. 

Furthermore, this dating app requires students to provide an active college email to join. It also ensures that no random resident that live around your rural college town fall into your swipe pool. The filter options are clutch and it helps you to find anyone if you narrow your filter enough.

Additionally, this dating app that college students use frequently in 2020 allows you to put your intentions on the forefront. On Friendsy, you will also know if someone is looking to hook up, date, or just be friends with you.

This dating app that college students use is totally free.

5. Hinge

Hinge is a dating app for people that wish to get off dating apps. It aims to foster relationships whereby aged college students use this dating app to find their potential life partners.

Once college students are nearing their senior year, most of them would want to enter serious relationships.

It could be that they are tired of having hangovers or relationships that never mattered in the past. Hinge provides a solution to such situations.

Hinge has a swiping feature like Tinder. This dating app requires your Facebook account to get started. Afterward, you’ll fill out your details, answer questions, and add images.

College students who are enjoying normal student life but wish to consider a relationship use this dating app which is one of the best to find the right person for themselves.

Hinge is very easy to use and it also offers slightly more than the typical surface-level swiping. The application costs $7 to subscribe to per month.

6. HER

HER is a dating app that is created specifically for lesbian, bisexual, queer women, non-binary people, and the LGBTQ community.

You can sign up on this dating app using your Facebook or Instagram profile. You will need to permit location access so as to see users on the platform near you. If you sign up, you will be required to upload at least eight photos of yourself and choose a label including lesbian, fluid, bisexual, etc

Bear in mind that HER is only for those who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer. This dating app will never make you feel hypersexualized for being into women. This is because the main purpose of HER is specifically for lesbians.

HER’s feed is similar to a social media platform like Facebook with the option to like other users’ photos.

In addition, it works like a comprehensive dating app where you can like or pass on potential matches and start a conversation when you both like each other. 

HER also allows you to participate in local LGBTQ events, read LGBTQ news, and connect with new friends.

This dating app that college students use has a free standard membership. Below are the subscription plans on HER:

7. Happn

Happn is a dating app that allows you to find everyone you have crossed paths with or people that destiny has decided you should meet.

If you’re a user on Happn and you cross paths with another user, their profile will appear on your app.

Once the user’s profile catches your attention, you can simply like their profile secretly and the user will never know unless they like you back.

In the same vein, you may wish to make a big impression by sending a salutation like “hello” and they’ll receive a notification. If the like is mutual, it means that you have got a crush. Thereafter, you start chatting with each other and maybe organize a face-to-face meeting.

Happn will never allow you to receive a message from someone you are not interested in. The dating app does not expose your location to other members, however, only the places you crossed paths with them are shown.

By signing up on Happn via your Facebook profile, you will allow your phone to geo-locate you so it can start tracking your movements. As a college student using Happen, whenever you visit specific places on campus, students that visit there regularly will show on your app. This will enable you to connect and become friends.

This dating app is free. If you wish to have access to more advanced features on Happn, you can upgrade to Premium. With Premium, you can see anyone who has liked your profile and get more Hellos to send to those special profiles.

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8. Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel is a dating app for singles who are looking for a serious relationship. This app is suitable for those looking for quality dates who don’t have the time to meet more people online.

For students in college, this app helps them to find love on campus. It also helps them connect with partners that help them to excel in their studies, apply and gain internships, or get into graduate school.

Unlike Tinder where you swipe to find a match, Coffee Meets Bagel sends you targeted, specialized singles depending on your preferences daily every afternoon.

This is where the name of the app comes from. During coffee breaks, most students open the app to see if they can find a partner of their choice around the corner.

Coffee Meets Bagel has a feature that lets you filter your experience so you’re only matched with fellow students and alumni that match what you’re looking for. This could either be by department, age or major.

9. Plenty of Fish

Plenty of Fish or POF is one of the oldest and biggest dating sites. While signing up, you’ll be required to complete a detailed questionnaire to enable the app to work out accurately who each person would be well-matched with.

Although many people use this dating app for chats and hookups, many have found a serious relationship on the platform.

According to a POF survey, 52% of men and 47% of women on this dating app are interested in becoming exclusive with the right partner.

POF’s match suggestions and personality test enable singles to meet a potential partner who has similar personality features and life goals.

The basic membership is free but you can upgrade your membership. With the upgraded membership, you can get triple the number of profile views, features including uploading sixteen photos to your profile, seeing the date and time someone viewed your profile, and standing out in all searches.

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10. Hater

Hater is a dating app that matches users based on the things they hate. Its algorithm finds matches using a user’s swipe.

If you swipe on other people, it is usually anonymous. This app can only match you and another user when both of you swipe right. So, this means that haters can hate together as well.

 Once you sign up, the app offers you thousands of options including people, places, and things of which you can decide to hate, love, like, or dislike.

While filling up your profile, you can as well browse another user’s profile in a swipe right/left pattern.

This dating app allows you to send messages to other singles on the platform using a fun icebreaker fill-in-the-blank prompt.

With this, you can start a conversation off in a humorous and interesting manner, rather than starting the chat using a boring “hi or hello”. 

Hater is a sure bet for college students looking for love. Hater takes off the pressure of someone trying to be perfect for someone else in order to get the person’s attention. Since you answer some questions and choose the things you like while signing up, Hater will help you to match partners that like the same things you like as well.

Since college students do not like paying for apps, this dating app is free of charge to use.

11. Match

The match is the longest-running dating website in the world. This dating platform dates back to 1995. Research shows that Match has promoted several first dates, serious relationships, and successful marriages.

This dating app guarantees that you will definitely find a partner. While signing up, you will have to set your dating preferences. This will allow you to view other users’ profiles freely once your profile is set up and running. Luckily, it does not limit profiles, meaning you can view any profile of your choice.

Match offers match suggestions based on your preferences and you can as well change these criteria anytime any day.

This dating app also has a “Missed Connections” feature. This feature uses your location to match you with people you have already come in contact with in real life in the past.

If you are a college student using this dating app, reflect back on occasions where you saw your crush on campus but didn’t make any move on them. Match will give you a second chance to make that move you didn’t make on that crush in the past.

Match has a free version but your communication with other users will be limited. However, you can get the unlimited version via subscription. The subscription includes $26.99/month for three months or $20.99/month for a year’s worth of premium.

12. JSwipe/Minder/CDate

You may notice that some people choose friends based on their religion or beliefs. Well, if you are single and you find yourself as one that considers religion while making friends, you can opt for JSwipe, Minder, or CDate.

JSwipe is a dating app that connects the Jewish community. On the other hand, Minder is a dating platform that connects Muslims while CDate connects Christians. These dating apps are free and you can use your Facebook profile to log in and get started.

In college, you will meet students from different walks of life and religion, but with these dating apps, you can connect and become friends with students that share the same beliefs as you.

Unfortunately, these apps do not require a user to show evidence of their religious beliefs. If religion is a priority before you choose friends on these platforms, you inquire when you match with a user to avoid disappointment.

13. Zoosk

Zoosk is an online dating site and dating app where you can browse photos of local singles, match with daters, and chat. It is available in 25 languages and in over 80 countries.

While signing up, you will be required to provide your Facebook profile and the Zoosk algorithm will sync your likes.  Afterward, you will fill out basic info such as body type, education, and religion. Then, you will have to write your “story” in a bio-like section. You can also write what your idea of a perfect match would be, as well as your ideal date.

Zoosk uses behavioral matchmaking to show compatibility between users. So, the more you view photos and like profiles, the better the matching algorithm will become at forecasting who you will like.

Using Zoosk allows you to get as personal as you want, without limiting you to a certain method of finding someone. Its multiple search options let you customize your experience based on your needs.

Zoosk analyzes your preferences and patterns when it comes to interacting with other singles in order to figure out your “type.” Then it uses that information to make recommendations for you, also known as the “SmartPick” feature. 

It has a free membership but you can upgrade to enjoy more features. Below are Zoosk subscription plans:

• 1 month subscription – $29.95
• 3 months subscription – $19.98 per month
• 6 months subscription – $12.49 per month

14. Grindr

Grindr is the world’s largest social network platform and app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people. However, chances are that you may find real and long-lasting relationships on this platform.

On Grindr, you will find several guys around your locality who are ready to chat. Most of the users will be honest in letting you know that they just want casual sex.

Grindr does not have any swiping feature to match you with a user. Hence, any member on the platform can chat with you without you both having to “like” each other first. This can lead to a user sending you his dick pictures. You just have to bear this in mind first!

Furthermore, you can send your location to other users on Grindr. We advise that you don’t rush into doing this. Begin first by asking for something like their Facebook or Instagram, and phone number before sending your location or meeting them in person in order to be sure of their identity.

Grindr helps gay college students who are looking for gay partners on campus for casual sex or something more. Unfortunately, Grindr is for sex addicts, so it’s not the best platform to find a lasting relationship. Although you never can tell, anything can happen.

This dating app has a basic free membership. You may choose to upgrade to Grindr XTRA to avoid seeing ads, see more profiles, use premium filters, send multiple pictures at once, etc. Below are the rates for the Grindr XTRA:

• 1-month subscription: $19.99
• 3-month subscription: $39.99
• 12-month subscription: $99.99

15. eHarmony

eHarmony is a dating app that lets you find love using a compatibility score. Millions of people all over the world have found true love using this dating app.

If you’re signing up on the platform, you will be required to answer an 80-question personality test. These answers to these questions will help the harmony team get to know you better and identify key personality traits.

Using the information you provide, the eHarmony algorithm will recommend your ideal match. So, make sure that you are honest while answering the questions.

Upon being matched with users, you can start interacting with them by sending Smiles and Icebreakers.

eHarmony is great for college students because this dating app helps them to find the love of their lives. There are high chances that any match you find on eHarmony is as serious as you’re. So, why waste your time on a mere hookup platform when you know that you can just find love on eHarmony. A 2020 research shows that this dating app is widely used among students in college.

eHarmony is not actually free, hence, you will have to subscribe for it. A monthly subscription costs $57.95 but you can get a cheaper bundle by opting for a year’s subscription which will cost you $26.95.

FAQs on the Best Online Dating Apps for College Students in 2020

What percentage of college students use dating apps?

Which is the best dating app for serious relationships?

Is tinder just for hookups?

What age group use Hinge mostly?

References

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Author
Emma Doyle

Mentors
Melanie Palomares, Ph.D.

Psychology 228 (Laboratory in Psychology) is a capstone class for psychology majors and minors. The main goal of the course is the completion of an independent research project, which the student develops themselves from idea to data analysis over the course of the semester. The instructional team is led by faculty member Dr. Melanie Palomares and dedicated graduate students. The 2019-2020 graduate student team consisted of Wendy Chu, Kristin Kirchner, Samantha Langley, Jaleel McNeil, Jonathan Rann, and Daria Thompson.  

Students were encouraged to develop a study based on their personal interests such as social media, interpersonal relationships, or exercise. Following certification in human subjects training, the students collected data by deploying surveys and assessments to their target demographic. Students analyzed and interpreted their data using SPSS, a statistical software. Students then wrote a full length, APA style research paper about their project. Students from this class acquired several skills such as responsible research conduct, survey creation, statistical software analysis, and professional writing. This class provided the opportunity for undergraduate students to preview the graduate student research experience. The students published here went the extra mile and prepared their research papers for this publication, which often included additional, more sophisticated data analysis and new research questions.

Abstract

Dating apps are increasingly popular among young people, including college students. However, these apps can be quite versatile, and there can be a number of reasons why a college student would use them, whether they are looking for a serious relationship, casual sex, or anything in between. Our study evaluated the intents, behaviors, and satisfaction of college students who used dating apps. Using Chi-Square and independent samples t-test analyses, results show that while satisfaction ratings were similar between men and women, more men use dating apps than women, which suggests that women might have a more negative perception of dating apps than men. Insights obtained through research such as this can be used in the future to improve the world of online dating, and facilitate connections between college students.

Connecting on Campus: Exploring the Motivations and Behaviors of College Students on Dating Apps

According to Pew Research, 30% of adults in the United States use a dating site or app (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020). Dating and romantic relationships have intersected with the media in the past, beginning as early as the 1700s with the creation of personal advertisements in newspapers (Reimann, 2016). Throughout the modern world, technology has become more central in finding romantic relationships. Using the internet to form romantic and social connections is quickly gaining popularity, especially among college students (Stevens, 2006). On the one hand, even with the growing popularity of online dating apps, only 23% of those surveyed have reported actually going on a date as a result of using the dating site or app. On the other hand, 12% report finding a committed relationship or marriage from using the dating site or app (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020). Thus, it seems that motivations and satisfaction for using these apps vary widely. According to a study about Tinder, a popular dating app, young adults, aged 18-30 years were motivated by the prospects of love, casual sex, thrill of excitement, and ease of communication (Sumter, et al, 2017). 

The relatively low percentage of users who actually go on an in-person date suggests that the satisfaction from using dating apps might be variable as well. For example, many women have reported experiencing negative interactions, such as harassment and name-calling on the online dating platforms. Many men indicated that they did not get as many responses as they wanted from using dating apps (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020). Moreover, users of dating apps also report that they expect that lying is a common occurrence in these platforms.

Among non-users of dating apps, there is a perception that online dating is not a safe way to meet people. Indeed, dating apps have been associated with a user’s intent to engage in acts of infidelity (Alexopoulos, Timmermans, & McNallie, 2020), which is likely associated with the scandal of the dating site, Ashley Madison, which specifically caters to people who are married or in relationships (CBS News, 2015).

Much of the present research on dating apps has studied young adult users, but not exclusively college students. College students are a population of particular interest because college is seen as an environment in which many people find romantic relationships. Due to this notion, people may wonder why college students would resort to using apps to meet others, when a college campus seems ripe with opportunities to meet people in person. Many different types of relationships between students can be observed on a college campus, from platonic friendships, to relationships based solely around sexual encounters, to very serious romantic relationships. Given this wide breadth of relationships within a confined community, coupled with the high usage of smartphones by college students, studying dating apps in the context of college campuses can divulge information about how the rapid expansion of technology is affecting campus climates and interpersonal relationships. Research into the relationships between college students and dating apps is essential in order to understand a new and growing part of life for many college students.

The current study evaluated the usage of online dating among undergraduate students at the University of South Carolina. College students are a population of particular interest, as technology and college life have become increasingly integrated in recent years (Dye, 2016). Moreover, the frequency of smartphone usage and sensation-seeking personality seem to be correlated with the intent (e.g., romance or casual sex) in college students who used dating apps (Chan, 2017). Based on previous research (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020), we hypothesized that there will be differences between men and women in both their motivation for using dating apps, as well as the level of satisfaction obtained from using the apps. If this were the case, then compared to women, we would expect a disproportionate number of men to use dating apps, and would also expect them to report having different motivations for using the dating app.

Method

Participants

Sixty-nine college students from the University of South Carolina completed the online survey about dating app usage, who were recruited via social media.  There were 43 females (M = 19.86 years, SD = 1.06) and 26 males (M = 19.73 years, SD = 0.92) in our sample.  Racially, 57 people identified as White, seven as multiracial, three as Asian and two as Black.  The majority of the responses were from Sophomores (55.1%), followed by Juniors (17.4%), Freshman (14.5%) and Seniors (13.0%).

Procedure and Analysis

A survey was created using Google forms, which was distributed via direct messages to other students on campus, as well as messaging groups of students on the messaging platform GroupMe. The survey included demographic questions (age, race, class, biological sex), and asked if they had used a dating app within the past 12 months. If participants had used a dating app in the past 12 months, they were asked what apps they used, for what reasons, how often they used the app, and they were asked to indicate their satisfaction in using the app(s) on a Likert Scale from 1-10.

Responses for motivations for using the dating app(s), included “Casual Dates” “Casual Sex” “A Serious Relationship” “Friendship” or “Other”.  Respondents who selected “Other” could type in an answer of their own.  For the purpose of this study, we have operationally defined the motivations. “Casual Sex” is defined as engaging in sexual acts without the explicit expectation of any sort of relationship to follow.  The other responses were grouped to be in the non-casual sex category. “A Serious Relationship” is defined as an exclusive romantic relationship, typically with titles, such as boyfriend or girlfriend. “Friendship” is defined in our study the same way that it is defined and understood in current culture to be a non-romantic and non-sexual relationship. The responses to the motivation question were recoded to two categories, non-casual sex or  casual sex, in order to distinguish the motivations based on primarily psychological versus physical intimacy. Using SPSS (IBM, 2019), Chi-square analyses and independent-samples t-tests were used to assess differences in the frequency of responses.

Results and Discussion

Who uses dating apps?

Out of 69 students, 45 reported using dating apps. The majority of students (93.3%) reported using Tinder.  Other dating apps listed were Bumble (20%), Hinge (4%), Coffee Meets Bagel (2%), MeetMe (2%) and Grindr (2%).

In order to evaluate whether or not there were sex differences in who used dating apps (within the last 12 months), a Chi-square analysis was used. Out of 43 female participants, 20 stated that they used a dating app, while out of 26 males, 25 used a dating app, which indicated a significant difference in the frequency of the responses, ² (1, N=69) =17.60, p<0.001.  According to these counts (Figure 1), while there were more women who participated in the survey, a disproportionate number of men (96.2%) were using dating apps compared to women (46.5%).  Interestingly, these results were different from those from Pew Research, which found that roughly equal proportion of men (32%) and women (28%) use dating apps (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020).  However our data are consistent with demographics reported by Tinder, the most popular dating site (Clement, 2020), Bumble, a site catering to women (Alter, 2015), and Hinge, a site specializing in serious relationships, (Carman, 2019), which reports 72%, 54%, and 64% male users, respectively (Clement, 2020, McAlone, 2015, Vedantam, 2020).  It is noted that the data for percentage of male tinder users was Conspicuously, there were more male users than female users reported for Bumble, which is a site that is geared towards women. It is noted that the reported demographics of the Pew Research differ from those for the individual apps. A possible explanation for this disparity lies within the method of data collection. The data for the individual apps were collected via analytics, while the data in the Pew Research was collected via surveys. In addition, the Pew Research over sampled the lesbian, gay, and bi-sexual populations (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020). It is possible that men and women equally use dating apps in the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities, however, since the data regarding Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge did not analyze the demographic of sexual orientation, it is unclear whether sexual orientation factors in to dating app usage.

Figure 1: Proportion of online dating users as a function of biological sex.  A disproportionate number of males use online dating services compared to females.

What are the motivations of dating app users?

            Since the number of male and female dating app users were uneven, then it is possible that there were sex differences in their motivation (i.e. casual sex or not casual sex) for using the app. We evaluated whether men and women listed “casual sex” as a motivation to use the app in different proportions. In our sample, 55% of women listed casual sex as motivation, while 80% of men did. A Chi-square analysis showed a non-significant result, ² (1, N=45) =3.24, p=0.072, which suggests that men and women have proportional distributions for their motivation. However, it is expected that increasing the sample size would result in a significant test since the obtained p-value was approaching 0.05 (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Proportion of online dating users interested in “casual sex” as a function of biological sex.  More males compared to females indicated this motivation for using online dating apps but is only marginally significant (p=0.072).

Usage and satisfaction

Our data suggest that more college-aged men disproportionately used dating apps compared to women in the last 12 months. There is a possibility that women might report lower satisfaction ratings that could lead to potentially stopping the use of dating apps. Thus, we tested the possibility that there would be sex differences in satisfaction for using dating apps. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to see if there were differences between men (M = 5.04, SD = 2.19, n = 25) and women (M = 5.50, SD = 2.89, n = 20) in their satisfaction for using dating apps. Results show no significant difference, t (43) = 0.547, n.s.  

Remarkably, while there seems to be more men who use dating apps and sites, it has been reported that the majority of men do not receive what they deem to be enough messages from dating sites, which might lead to a lower rate of satisfaction (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020). This might be true for our sample as well. We tested sex differences in the number of times our participants checked the dating app within one week using an independent-samples t-test, two-tailed. Results showed that there was a significant difference between men (M = 1.92, SD = 0.91, n = 25) and women (M = 2.55, SD = 1.05, n = 20), t (43) = 2.156, p = 0.037. In our sample, women tended to check their dating apps more often than men, perhaps implying that they check their app more because they get more notifications from responses, relative to men (Figure 3). A previous study from Queen Mary University of London that examined user behavior on the application Tinder within New York City and London, found that women receive matches at a much higher rate than men (10% of the time as compared to 0.6%) (MIT Technology Review 2016). Given this higher rate of matches or perceived success on the app, this could potentially explain why women use the app more frequently. Notably, the interactions from dating apps could be both positive and negative. Negative interactions include continued contact after saying that they were not interested, an unsolicited sexually explicit message or image, being called an offensive name, or a threat of physical harm (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020).

Figure 3: Mean frequency of checking online dating apps as a function of biological sex.  Women significantly checked online dating apps compared to men.  Error bars +/- SD.

These data, together with the lack of a statistical difference in satisfaction ratings, imply that men and women might have different sources of dissatisfaction with dating apps. As suggested by Pew research, more women reported being targeted by harassment compared to men (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020).  It would be interesting to test the factors, such as the perceived danger of dating apps, or the actual experience of harassment, that lead to lower rates of dating app usage in women. Complementarily, the relatively high dating app usage in men is also noteworthy, as they report concerns over a lack of responses and dishonesty from other users. 

Previous research has been done regarding the tendency of males to prefer or to be more accepting of casual sex in comparison to women. As previously mentioned, males in our study were more motivated to use the apps to find casual sex than the women in our study. The results for this analysis were marginally significant, but could potentially be significant with a larger sample size. The question of why men and women differ in their attitudes towards casual sex has been a longstanding one. Robert Trivers’ Parental Investment Theory may partially explain this disparity. Part of his theory is that female parental investment is typically higher than male parental investment, and that the sex with more investment will have stronger preferences in regards to who they mate with (Trivers, 1972). Based on this theory, females will be more selective about their partners, possibly limiting the chances for casual sex encounters. The benefits of short term mating are also different for men and women. Speaking in terms of benefits from an evolutionary perspective, to a male, many sexual encounters with many women in a year can lead to the production of multiple offspring, but a woman can only produce one child in the same time period. There does not seem to be much benefit to women to engage in short term sexual encounters. On the contrary, there seems to be more risks associated with casual sex for women than there are for men. Women risk greater damage to their reputation, and losing out on future encounters due to a lower perception of value. Later research by Buss & Schmitt revealed that when asked about their ideal number of sexual partners in a lifetime, the average answer for men was 18, while the average answer for women was around 4.5 (Buss & Schmitt, 1993). This upholds the notion that men prefer casual sex more than women do.

Research conducted on the campus of Florida State University showed that male students were far more likely to be willing to engage in casual sex than their female counterparts. In two studies on the campus, one conducted in 1978 and the other in 1982, students were approached by an experimenter and told that they were attractive, then were asked one of three questions, which were rotated among subjects. The options were a request for a date, an invitation to go back to the experimenter’s apartment, and an invitation to go to bed with the experimenter. In both studies, 0% of females agreed to go to bed, while 75% of males agreed to do so in the 1978 study, and 69% of males in the 1982 study (Clark & Hatfield, 1989).

Given our ever-advancing technological world, our research can be of use to college students as the use of dating apps is quickly becoming an undeniable part of college culture. Since this phenomenon has only emerged in recent years, the waters are still relatively untested, and college students may have many concerns surrounding dating apps. The current study investigated the usage of dating apps in college-aged men and women. Women tended to use dating apps less than men. In those who use the apps, women tend to check their apps more often than men, but there were no statistical differences in satisfaction or motivation between men and women.

Excitement of uncertainty

In general, it seems that the limitation of dating apps is the sense of trust and security from their users as only a subset of users actually meet from using dating apps. Therefore, there might be other factors that might explain the popularity of dating apps. Given that men seem to comprise the majority of users on dating apps, despite generally receiving fewer “matches”, one must wonder why they continue to use the applications if they are not “successful”. Perhaps this means that there are other motivations to use these apps, such as thrill seeking. The behavior appears similar in a way to gambling; app users enjoy the possibility of a match enough to outweigh not receiving as many as they may possibly want.

Despite a lower rate of matches, which would indicate a lower rate of success when compared to women, men still comprise the majority of the user base on dating apps. Why keep using it if it is not working? Similar to gambling, users of these apps may find excitement in the sheer possibility of getting a match, making the experience of using the app enjoyable for them even if they aren’t obtaining any success. They may keep using these apps because they feel that they are bound to have success at a certain point, similar to patrons of a casino who spend all night at the roulette table, but with no wins. Aside from the thrill of potential success, it is possible that men are staying on these apps simply because it is deemed “the thing” to do. Perhaps male college students know that many of their fellow classmates are on these apps, so they feel compelled to use them as well. Technology and social interaction have become increasingly integrated with one another, to a point where many connections nowadays are made online, oftentimes via dating apps (Stevens & Morris, 2007). Humans are highly social beings, constantly seeking connections with other humans. Maybe at the root of the desire to use these apps is the intrinsic longing for human connection, a powerful inclination that keeps people using dating apps, no matter the outcome that the user experiences.

Limitations of the study

Some limitations did arise during this research. Given that the sample was derived from one college campus, the results may not accurately reflect the trends and behaviors of all college students. Collecting data from one campus also skewed the demographics of this study. There were a disproportionate number of responses from white students, with few minority students being included in the sample. This could be attributed to the racial composition of the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus, where this data was collected. University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus’ undergraduate enrollment is comprised of 76.7% white students, 10.2% African American students, 0.2% Native American students, 2.3% Asian students, 4.0% Hispanic students, 0.1% Pacific Islander students, and 3.2% multiracial students, according to the University of South Carolina Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This page also includes 1.6% NR Alien and 1.7% No Response undergraduate students on the Columbia campus, two groups that were not included in our sample (University of South Carolina Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, n.d.). Besides the campus being predominantly white undergraduate students, the small sample size does not reflect the diversity of campus.

Future directions

            Further research can be done on this topic, ideally with a larger sample size, and a more diverse sample. Another interesting factor that could be examined in future studies is how a person’s sexual orientation affects dating app usage, something that was not examined in this study. Since this study collected data from those who have used dating apps, it may be the case that there were some students in our sample who tried dating apps, were dissatisfied with them, and stopped their usage. This may have skewed our sample in potentially making it more likely that people in our sample were satisfied. It would be interesting to conduct further research on this topic, perhaps in a more controlled nature. A possible future direction for research on this topic would be to have a number of single people download one or more apps and have the participants use these apps for a certain period of time while tracking their satisfaction with the app. This type of study provides the opportunity for a potentially more accurate satisfaction rating. Another interesting direction for a future study would be to conduct the study across various college campuses around the country. This would give a greater sense of trends and behaviors applicable to the population of college students as a whole, while also allowing the study of trends by geographical region and institution type (e.g. user behavior at state schools versus private universities).  

About the Author

Emma Doyle

My name is Emma Doyle, and I am a senior Psychology major with a Spanish minor from Long Island, New York. Post graduation I plan on attending graduate school to earn a PhD. in School Psychology. This topic was of interest to me because during my time at Carolina I have observed the popularity of dating apps among my fellow students. The phenomenon of online dating is also relatively new, so I was interested in contributing to a growing body of research. Working on this project has helped make me a better scholar, as it has deepened my understanding of the process of data collection, academic writing, and statistical analyses.

I would like to thank several people for the important roles that they played in this project. This research was originally done as part of the final project for my course section of Laboratory in Psychology. I wish to thank both my laboratory partner, Katerina Delidakis, as well as Jonathan Rann, who was the teaching assistant for my section of that class. I also wish to thank Dr. Melanie Palomares, my professor for Laboratory in Psychology. Aside from teaching me about statistics and the process of scientific writing, Dr. Palomares has been a great mentor to me during the process of finalizing this paper for publication, enhancing both my understanding for and love of academia. Lastly, I thank all participants of this study for their role in advancing the scientific body of work.

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Dora Guo

In a typical year at Yale, dining halls and libraries are teeming with people, making it easy to scope the scene for a potential crush or admirer. As you walk past SSS before an 11:35 a.m. class, you are one of many students swarming the street; although you may be focused on a pset due later that day, future romance crosses your mind while making eye contact with someone marching down Hillhouse. Every seat in your lecture is taken — a testimony to the endless options you could have if you actually took the time to meet each person. Then there are all the opportunities to socialize outside of the academic sphere. You put your work aside on a Wednesday night to line up by the Toads entrance, thinking about who you could meet while dancing on the sticky hardwood floors. On a Friday, you squeeze into a dimly lit suite party or join the throng of people in front of the frats, running into the person you glanced at five seats over in your econ lecture.

When quarantine started last March, our large lecture halls and lively seminars turned into arrangements of squares on a screen. Our friends and peers became two-dimensional pictures and  loneliness began sneaking up on us; we had taken our daily interactions — integral components of life at Yale — for granted. Those with serious romantic relationships continued them, but many lost touch with their pre-COVID flings. As weeks went by, some students took to downloading dating apps like Hinge and Tinder to meet and talk to potential love interests: swiping and scrolling became the new way to see fresh faces. Elizabeth, who like all the sources I spoke to chose to use a pseudonym, said that she “downloaded Hinge mid-lockdown in April out of pure boredom,” but pickiness caused her not to take interest in anyone or make plans to actually meet up with them. However, the new style of living under COVID-19 lasted longer than we expected. As spring turned into summer, dating apps continued to fill the void of parties and events, leaving more time to match with people on Tinder or develop conversations on Hinge. For some students returning to New Haven in the fall, this meant setting their school to ‘Yale’ and their age range to 18-22. Others kept their dating apps set to their hometown or New York City to separate their virtual private dating life from their Yale life.

Lauren, a sophomore, says that she “only matches with Yale people for precautionary reasons. I don’t know if other universities in the area are testing their students as regularly, and I want to be safe.” This past fall, she went on three dates with Yale men she met through Tinder, and began seeing one of them exclusively. “The lack of a party scene has made it difficult to meet a potential fling in person, and so Tinder has become my primary way of meeting people,” she says. “While I actually used Tinder a little last year, people are more likely to actually want to meet up now because there is no other way to be formally introduced.” Swiping has also become another mode of social media to browse when procrastinating and seeking entertainment: “I tend to scroll a lot when I’m bored, and it’s become kind of an activity for me. I have matched with a bunch of people who I’ve made plans to meet up with once we’re out of quarantine,” Lauren says. 

Elizabeth, a senior, takes a different approach to dating apps — she sets them to her hometown, strictly separating her online dating life from her Yale life. When she first downloaded Hinge, she did not have plans to meet up with anyone, but toward the summer she ended up matching with someone she thought was interesting, and met him for a few dates. Although they are at separate schools, she keeps in touch with him and saw him while at home during winter break. “While I hadn’t planned it, something really positive came out of downloading Hinge and now I look forward to it when I get home from school,” she says. She prefers to keep her Hinge set outside of the Yale sphere so that people she knows on campus, like her ex, don’t see her profile. “It’s less about embarrassment about having the app and more about word spreading when I match with someone that other people know,” she says. While our memory of Yale is one of endless faces lining desks and couches in Sterling and Bass, it also happens to be a relatively small school when it comes to running into people you know, especially those you’re avoiding. Lauren, who sets her dating apps to Yale only, agrees with this, as she has run into previous Tinder dates while walking around campus. “The funniest situation was when someone who I was talking to on Tinder ghosted me and then I ran into him on a date with another girl… It was funny for me and awkward for him,” Lauren says. 

Then there are those who don’t use dating apps to meet brand new people, but to link with friends-of-friends who may follow them on other social media platforms. Dating apps have become a way of expanding our network because there are no events where you can be introduced to them. “I would only meet up with someone on Hinge that I know but haven’t been formally introduced to yet,” says Sandra, a first year. Through this lens, dating apps aren’t a replacement for the exhilarating rush of seeing new faces, but an easier way to formally meet people you somewhat know. For Sandra, this has been a successful tactic, as she’s been talking to and gone on a date with one of these people — he followed her on Instagram beforehand and knows her friends, but wouldn’t have otherwise reached out. Hinge has become an enhancement and convenience rather than an unfitting replacement, because it only requires one tap to reach out to someone you recognize and find good-looking. 

Of course, not everyone is on board with dating apps — in fact there are a significant number of Yale students who prefer the traditional in-person way of meeting their fling or significant other. Although this may seem almost impossible in the cold winter months of a pandemic, you never know who you’ll meet in your residential college hallway, off campus building or on your way to a snowball fight. Otherwise, keep swiping.

Julia Levi julia.levi@yale.edu

JULIA LEVI