According to current stats it seems online dating is here to stay!

Let’s compare this popular post from 5 years ago with these statistics from May of this year:

1. 49.7 million people have tried online dating
2. 17.5 million are on eHarmony.com
3. 24.6 million are on Match.com
4. 17% of marriages began online – this is the same as 5 years ago
5. 71% of online daters believe in love at first site – WOW!
6. New stat – 10% of people who use online dating to meet people are sex offenders
7. According to eHarmony they are responsible for 4% (down 1% from 5 years back) of marriages from online dating – are other sites creating more matches??

If you’d like to read our story, you can get The Miracle of Us: Confessions of an Online Dater here.

Re-post:

It happened again.

This time I was getting a pedicure and chatting with the lovely woman who attempted to produce something beautiful from my calloused, beach-combing feet. The conversation naturally turned to how we each met our husbands.

Her question prompted my response, “On an internet dating site,” and I grinned, waiting for the usual astonishment.

No way! You’re the third person that I’ve heard of.

I find I’m hearing that more often now. My husband and I know two other married couples who met on Christian Café. Online dating is quickly losing its stigma. Many folks are tired of the bar hopping want-to-go-to-my-place scene. They want more than one night; they long for something real, deeper and permanent.

According to 2012 statistics, internet dating is gaining popularity and producing lasting results.

Did you know that:

• In 2007, 20 million people tried online dating; in 2012 40 million have jumped onboard
• 10% of 54 million singles use an online dating service
• Of online daters, 52.4% are male; 47.6% are female
• 20% of current committed relationships started online
• The average length of courtship leading to marriage for online daters is 18.5 months
• 17% of couples who married met on a dating site
• According to eHarmony, their site is responsible for 5% of all US marriages

Is it the best option?

While opportunities for meeting the person of your dreams through work, school, and social activities may present themselves to the majority of society, many people find the internet dating situation a beneficial one. Learning a little about someone from a profile or being matched to a compatible suitor offers a dating advantage that supersedes a bar scene or the constant conscious effort to pay attention to every potential single who may be in the next aisle at the grocery store.

Yes, liars and potential dangers do exist online.

But I’ve seen or met some fairly sketchy characters on a college campus, in a restaurant and even at church. There are no guarantees that you won’t meet unscrupulous people on an internet dating site—just as you might anywhere. It’s certainly not the only option; it’s only one of many. But I’m awfully glad I tried it.

Do you know someone who has met online? What’s their story?

 

Statistics provided by www.statisticbrain.com and www.eharmony.com