Up until the very beginning of 2020, search interest in dating apps was rising at a dizzying speed. At this point the stigma of online dating and dating apps had begun to disappear as this approach became a standard way to meet someone and dating apps were enjoying excellent growth.

But then it seemed interest had hit its peak, with growth in searches stagnating. This was likely caused by Covid-19 and lockdowns making dating difficult, especially in person.

Then we reached 2021. Search interest jumped in January, dropped in the following months, but then rebounded over the summer to the highest levels ever. With lockdowns less common and vaccination rates on the rise, it seems people were looking to make up for lost time.

We found a similar trend on Reddit by using Brandwatch Consumer Research to look at two subreddits: /r/dating and /r/dating_advice.

Again, we see years of strong growth up until 2019 (although activity did slow towards the end of the year). The following year saw sluggish growth leading to a drop in winter. This is most likely a reflection of colder weather making dating outdoors to lower the risk of Covid more difficult.

Activity recovered as we went into 2021 and then suddenly jumped in July. Warmer weather meant outdoor dates were back on the cards, while newly vaccinated people likely felt more safe meeting up with new people inside.

All in all, it’s clear that people are ready and raring to go on the date front, and this shouldn’t be seen as a frivolous conclusion. Dates contribute a lot to the economy, and can be especially important for bars, restaurants, cinemas, and other date-friendly venues. It’s these establishments that have been hit incredibly hard by Covid, so this will be good news for them.

Of course, dating does not always end well.

For those unaware, ghosting is when you stop responding to someone’s messages without explanation. It’s a fairly brutal way to end things, but it’s common nonetheless as it means avoiding the need for uncomfortable in-person or over-the-phone breakups.

We found mentions of ghosting have been at their highest this year as people get back out to date. Technology may have made it easier to meet someone, but it’s also made it easier to break it off with them too. That suggests there are a lot of left-on-read, broken hearts out there.

Based on our data, it looks like there will be more of this to come. But as sad as that might be, more first dates could be good news for restaurants and bars.

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Stay safe,

The Brandwatch React team