New Study: Gen Z Shifts from Dating Apps, Prefers VR, Protests, and Social Gatherings

SAN ANGELO, TX - A new survey reveals that Generation Z is moving away from traditional online dating platforms, with only 16% of respondents favoring dating apps.

Instead, nearly 90% of Gen Z prefer meeting potential partners through social gatherings with friends and family or in unconventional settings.

The survey, conducted by DatingAdvice.com, highlights distinct differences in dating preferences between men and women within this generation. Gen Z is defined as anyone born between 1997 and 2012, with ages ranging from 12 to 27 years old. 

According to the study, women are more inclined to meet partners at weddings, through friends, or during chance encounters at locations like bookstores or grocery stores.

Men, on the other hand, lean towards speed dating, activism-related events such as protests, and virtual reality (VR) environments, and hanging out at local spots, information from the study states. 

A significant 90.24% of respondents expressed a preference for in-person dates, with 40.64% still considering online encounters. Among those favoring the digital sphere, 14.14% of male respondents showed interest in the metaverse as a potential dating space.

Interestingly, 13.89% of Gen Z men are open to meeting potential dates in places as unconventional as funerals, while 17.46% of them are enthusiastic about exploring VR for dating, compared to just 10.8% of women.

Social gatherings emerged as the top choice for women, with 20.4% selecting it as their preferred way to meet someone. The exact same percentage of men prefer organized meetups like speed dating.

Notably, meeting partners at protests ranked as the second highest preference for Gen Z men, with 19.05% favoring this method. Only 14.4% of females agree with this. 

Click here to view the official study.