Finding love on a dating app six times more likely to end in divorce, research says
It has become the modern way to meet a lifetime partner – but dating apps might not fulfil the happily-ever-after they promise.
A study has revealed that finding love online may, in fact, be more likely to end in divorce.
Researchers at Savanta ComRes discovered that it came with greater chances of an early split, compared to meeting a partner via a more traditional way.
Indeed, the findings show that couples who connected romantically via a dating app were six times more likely to divorce in the first three years of marriage.
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Meanwhile, those who were brought together by friends, family and neighbours tended to see their unions last longer.
The survey featured 2,027 married adults over the age of 30, and also found that there was no difference between those who met on sites like Tinder, that are often viewed as being more for shorter-term flings, and others who were connected by relationship-focused alternatives like eharmony.
It was commissioned by charity Marriage Foundation, which suggested those who are brought together online "lack sufficient social capital or close support networks around them to deal with all the challenges they face when compared to those who met via friends, family or neighbours".
Marriage Foundation research director Harry Benson said: "Couples [who met online] are marrying as relative strangers."
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Last year, polling site YouGov found that almost a fifth of Britons met their current, or most recent, other-half at work.
Meanwhile, a considerable 18% were introduced through mutual friends, and 15% while "out and about".
Additionally, 5% connected through a shared hobby, and 6% saw sparks fly during university or higher education.
Unfortunately, speed dating isn't the most reliable of methods – with fewer than 1% of couples getting together this way.
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