On your next date make sure to bring gum, cologne, and your vaccine card.
Match released data showing a shift in the mindset of singles in the dating scene. The Match data comes out of the 11 th year of the research project “Singles in America,” when Kinsey Institute researchers at Indiana University ask 5,000 singles about their attitudes and behaviors on being single. This cross-sectional study showed an overall increase in the value of emotional attachment and a decrease in the importance of sex – as well as 65 percent of singles wanting their partner to be vaccinated.
“The vaccination status is being used as a proxy of political views or views on the healthcare industry or on more psychological traits like empathy and caring about those around you,” said Kinsey Institute Executive Director Justin Garcia.
According to the study, vaccination status has become the most important issue when it comes to dating a partner, taking precedent over other dealbreakers such as religion and political affiliation. Garcia said the vaccine is also an indicator of someone who is healthy – something that most singles didn’t focus on before the pandemic but will stay with the dating community for years after the pandemic.
“It’s opened up the doors for people to talk more about health and well-being in the dating context…I think it’s a new era in the role of our personal health in our dating lives,” said Garcia.
More data will be released later in the year, displaying a “dramatic dating reset among singles” in America. For more information about the study, go to match.mediaroom.com
