Researchers from the Swiss University of Geneva (UNIGE) analyzed 2018 data from family surveys and studied a sample of 3,235 adults who were in a relationship and had met their partner in the past 10 years.
They found that couples who met through an app were more motivated to live together than others.
The study does not say whether their ultimate intention was to live together for the long or short term, but since there is no difference in the intention to get married, and that marriage is still a central institution in Switzerland, say. living together probably as a trial period prior to marriage, ”Gina Potarca, a researcher at the Institute of Demography and Socio-economics at UNIGE’s Faculty of Social Sciences, said in a statement.
Women who met their partners through apps also said they wanted and planned a child in the near future, researchers said, pointing out that this was more common in app romances than other ways of meeting.
Couples who met through apps were just as satisfied with the quality of the relationship and the quality of their lives as those who met in other circumstances, researchers found.
“The internet is profoundly changing the dynamics of how people meet,” said Potarca.
The study said dating apps encourage mixing people with different levels of education, especially between highly educated women and less educated men.
Apps can also facilitate long-distance relationships, as users can connect with users who are more than 30 minutes away, she added.
“Knowing that dating apps are likely to have become even more popular during this year’s periods of lockdown and social detachment, it is reassuring to allay alarming concerns about the long-term effects of using these tools,” added Potarca.