Love in the Time of Corona

According to leading dating app Hinge, that answer is yes.

In a survey of its users, the app reports that 75% of people are no longer searching for a quick fling, but an actual long-term romantic partner.

The pandemic saw the number of global dating app users reach a peak of 270 million people, which is an increase of 20 million users from the year before.

Appearance-focussed dating giant Tinder reigned supreme over the global dating app market, with 75 million people using the app in the year 2020.

What we are looking for in that partner also appears to have changed due to the pandemic.

Founder of the vida consultancy Rachel Maclynn said:

“Finding a partner has become more important than ever. 

“From a psychological perspective, loyalty is an emotional concept, but it provides security which tends to be one of the most important needs when people think about significant relationships. 

“Infidelity threatens the security of a relationship so prioritising this in your future partner's values is unsurprising.”

Research conducted by Legal & General on dating post-lockdown shows that loyalty and honesty are the most valued traits in a partner, with 47% and 46% of those surveyed citing faithfulness and trustworthiness as the most important attributes.

A good sense of humour is more essential than ever, with 43% of the UK selecting this as their top valued trait in a partner.

When it comes to the difference between men and women, 40% of men, value a sense of humour in a partner over loyalty (38%) and kindness (36%).

In comparison, female respondents value loyalty (55%) and honesty (48%) in a partner over anything else, even over a sense of humour and appearance.

However, UK singletons did rank appearance higher than intellect when asked about their desired future partner, and perhaps this is due to the appearance-focussed nature of dating apps.

The survey also found that Dinner dates are still the UK’s most popular first date of choice, despite restaurants and pubs being closed intermittently for the last year.

38% of respondents selected eateries as their top option to take someone on a first date.

Whereas theatres, museums and galleries came in at the bottom with only 8% selecting them as an ideal location for a first date.

Interestingly, park dates appear to have lasting popularity after lockdown, with 22% of respondents choosing this option.

Despite outdoor locations being a popular choice for dating during lockdown, this didn’t come without some uncertainty.

Matilda Martin, 23, reconnected with her university friend, now boyfriend, through social media during the pandemic.

The couple started going on dates during the summer of 2020, but didn’t see each other in person for five months during the winter lockdown.

She said: “The first place we met was in Basingstoke, which is quite a quiet town, our other dates included nicer walks and pub lunches.”

Martin commented: “It was tricky dating during the pandemic. People have different things that they're comfortable doing. 

“When I went on our first date I had to be very clear beforehand that we had to maintain social distance.

"Even though it was safer to be outside at the time, I was worried that the increasingly cold weather would annoy the guy I was dating.”

Dating expert and relationship coach Liam Barnett said: “In general Covid definitely helped people get a better idea on what they want in a relationship, and what pace they want to move into relationships with.

“For some it was to find out that slowing things down is a better way to do things in a relationship, while for some others, it was awakening to speed things up a little as in, ‘Oh, I was wasting time, I should speed things up a little.’

“Whether people wanted to or not, they had to be more aware, to be more present, and to slow down; which undoubtedly affected and had a great impact on the way we view relationships and dating. 

“It helped us make up our minds, and realise what we want, need, and most importantly what is most suitable for us.”

Scott Greene, 22, moved to London from Glasgow at the beginning of 2020 and spent most of that summer going on dates with women that he met on Tinder.

He said: “Before the pandemic I had never really used dating apps, but decided to try it to see what women in my local area were like.

“I didn’t start with the intention of finding anything serious, I had been in a relationship during my years at university, and I just wanted to spend the summer having fun.”

He stated: “I ended up meeting a real variety of women, some that I got on great with, others that I didn’t, the pandemic really showed me what I like and don’t like in a potential partner.”

Greene also commented that it was easier to tell whether you were really compatible with someone when you could meet them in person, this got more difficult when London went into lockdown at the end of last year.

He said: “I found it harder to tell whether I actually liked the girls I was speaking to, and whether they actually liked me, when the only method of contact we had was by message.”

Dating expert Barnett states: “We as beings communicate verbally, and non-verbally. 

“We need both in order to have a better understanding, a healthier understanding.

“While we couldn’t read what a person's body was saying [during lockdown], we could read what their thoughts were. 

“That’s the part where it made us be more aware, and be more present to the process of getting a certain information, or opinion, that the other served to us.”

On the discussion of dating during the pandemic, Barnett also said: “It definitely gave another point of view on long-distance relationships - I’d say it gave an openness to the idea of it. 

“Since people were on dating apps, and at times because of boredom, they thought to give it a try and ‘swipe right’ to someone who’s very far away, solely out of curiosity.”

And such was the case for Charlotte Adams, 24, from Nottingham.

Adams matched with now boyfriend on a dating app whilst visiting a friend in London.

The pair chatted every day for weeks before meeting in person for the first time.

She said: “I had re-downloaded my dating apps to keep myself occupied throughout the first lockdown.

“When I matched with my boyfriend I didn’t think it would turn into anything serious, I was staying with my friend Megan for a few days and I never thought that I would meet anyone like him on Bumble.”

She stated: “I told him that I was from Nottingham and just visiting a friend in London for the weekend, I wasn’t looking for a long distance relationship and neither was he.”

But as Adams returned home, her connection with her boyfriend, Matt, went from strength to strength.

She commented: “I feel like I got to know Matt really well in those first few weeks before we met in person.

“He was extremely funny, we had the same taste in music and talking to him quickly became my favourite part of the day.”

She stated: “The pandemic gave us the time and the distance to really get to know one another.

“I’ve never been in a relationship as open and honest as the one that I have now, I really know where I stand with him, I never have to second guess myself.”

When asked about their plans for the future, Adams reveals her plans to move to London but is uncertain of the time frame.

She said: “We have plans to move in together at the end of the year, but that depends on the pandemic for now we’re good with visiting each other every two weeks.”

On the topic of relationships, Barnett states: “It takes two independent individuals to create a couple, that’s why it matters a lot on how they’re formed and what they are able/what they choose to bring into the relationship. 

“The pandemic affected people as individuals in both ways - negative and positive - and has simultaneously affected relationships and dating in those ways too.”

He notes: “We are going to pass this on to the future generations, it affected us, it had a fundamental impact on how we see and do relationships and dating. 

“It fundamentally changed this aspect of our lives, that is visible, and absolutely undeniable.”

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Infographic credits: Madison Bentley

Data credits: Legal&General