Research Has Found That People’s Date Preferences Don’t Influence Who They Contact Online

A recent study has found that a person’s criteria for their ideal date has little influence on who they contact online.

Conducted by researchers Stephen Whyte and Professor Benno Torgler at Queensland University of Technology, “Preference vs. Choice in Online Dating” looked at the online dating behaviour of 41,000 singles using the Australian dating site RSVP.

The study looked at whether the preferences people stated on their profile actually influenced who they spoke to on the site.

And interestingly, the findings show that under 1% of the messages sent went to those who fit the person’s criteria.

This was put down to the larger pool of potential dates singles can access online.

Whyte said: “We looked at whether or not people actually contact people who match what they say is their ideal partner in their profile, and our findings show they don’t.

“Stating a preference for what you are looking for appears to have little to no bearing on the characteristics of people you actually contact.

“How people go about finding a partner is changing dramatically thanks to the internet.

“Where once we were limited to settings such as school, work, social gatherings or local night spots, there is a much wider choice at hand online.”

This study is the largest analysis of its kind looking at Australian online dating behaviour, monitoring users’ actions over a four month period in 2016.

RSVP allows singles to search for potential dates based on age, location or “deal breakers” and lets them send “Kisses” to those they’re interested in.

If both users like each other, they are put in contact through the site.

To find out more about this study please click here.