81% of Singles More Likely to Use Dating Apps With Verified Profiles, World Survey Finds

A new survey commissioned by World and conducted by The Harris Poll found that 81% of singles would be more likely to use a dating app if every profile was verified as belonging to a real person. Another 80% said they would be willing to verify their own profiles if their matches did the same.

The research also found that 70% would prefer matching with an average-looking person they knew was real over a highly attractive profile they were unsure about. Nearly half (46%) said they would be more likely to meet someone in person sooner if they knew their match was genuine.

The findings also highlight concerns about fake profiles. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of online daters said they had suspected a match was fake, while 57% of respondents identified fake or deceptive profiles as one of the biggest problems on dating apps.

World is promoting its World ID technology as a way for dating apps to verify that users are unique humans without sharing personal information such as names or dates of birth. Tinder has introduced World ID’s Proof of Human verification in the US and Japan, allowing users who complete the process to display a verification badge on their profiles.

The survey was conducted online in the US on August 20–21, 2026, among 892 single adults aged 18 and over, including 649 who had used dating apps.