Hongkongers seem to have debunked the notion that dating apps are only for flings or casual dating. According to a survey by online language learning platform Preply to uncover how Hongkongers’ communicate on dating apps, 66% of respondents said they ended up in a serious, long-term relationship after meeting on them. Gen X users (85%) had the most success finding serious love on relationship platforms, followed by Gen Z (78%). However, only 57% of Millennials said they had got into a long-term relationship via romance platforms.
As part of the survey, 1,001 men and women living in Hong Kong aged between 18 and 55 were also asked questions about which topics are off-limits during initial conversations on a dating app and how users send their first messages on these platforms. Most respondents said they avoid talking about money (32%) in early interactions on these apps, with politics (26%) being the next biggest no-go topic. Other subjects that respondents steered clear of when they first communicate on these platforms include past convictions and sex, family and the reasons that they’re single, and the future of the relationship.
The survey also found that most respondents tend to keep first interactions simple, and prefer to say ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ (32%) as a way of opening a conversation. This was consistent across genders, with 44% of women and 37% of men favouring this approach. A simple introduction (32%) is also the most likely way to get a response, while respondents said they were least likely to reply to sexually-driven opening messages (7.19%), followed by unusual questions (9.09%), and pick-up lines (10.99%).
Two other factors come into play when interacting on these apps — the time taken to respond to an initial message and how long after the first conversation should an in-person meeting happen? For instance, 57% of women and 46% of men said that receiving a response within one hour signifies keenness without appearing desperate or overly eager. However, there were different expectations for meeting in person. While 4-6 days is the most common time for feeling comfortable enough to meet in person, 15% of women would be willing to wait 3-4 weeks, compared to just 11% of men.
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