Dating apps and the marriage market

 Dating apps may have peaked, at least in the UK, where younger users are at least thinking that they would like to find a match through in-person interaction (i.e. more like their grandparents than like many of their parents.)

Dating apps have been a boon not only for people trying to match up, but also for economists who are sometimes asked to explain to non-economists why we think of  "marriage markets."  I've often found that people who don't think marriage is a market nevertheless agree that dating apps are very market-like.

The Guardian has the story:

Gen Z is breaking up with dating apps,,, Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Grindr have all seen dip in use since last year, by Dan Milmo

"The UK’s dating scene is swiping left on popular apps such as such as Tinder and Hinge as younger people turn to real-life ways of connecting with potential partners, according to the UK’s communications watchdog.

"Ofcom said the UK’s top four dating apps had seen a dip in use since 2023, with Tinder losing 600,000 users, Hinge shedding 131,000, Bumble declining by 368,000 and Grindr falling by 11,000.

"Ofcom said the overall number of adults visiting a dating service in May this year – nearly 5 million, or about one in 10 – was broadly in line with the same period in 2023, but the slight decline could be linked to the shifting dating habits of members of gen Z, the demographic cohort born between the mid-90s and 2010. 

...

"Tinder’s owner, Match Group, has admitted issues with attracting a younger audience, saying in January that its leading app would be focusing on “shaping an in-app experience that resonates better with today’s younger users”. It said gen Z users were seeking “a lower-pressure, more authentic way to find connections”.

"Ofcom also found that dating services still had the biggest reach in younger adult age groups, reaching 18% of 18- to 24-year-olds and a similar proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds. It said two gay dating apps, Sniffies and Scruff, had entered the top 10 most popular dating apps."

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I'm  pretty confident that dating apps will be with us for quite some time, some of which will introduce new matchmaking tools to frustrate and entertain and even match these young folks.