Almost Half Of All Online Daters Want To See Covid Vaccination Status On Profiles

Topline

Nearly half of all Americans who have used dating apps in the last year say seeing someone’s Covid-19 vaccination status on their profile is important, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to view vaccines as a dealbreaker, according to a poll released Tuesday by Pew Research Center.

Key Facts

Some 23% of respondents said it was very important to them that the profiles they looked at included vaccination status, and another 24% said it was somewhat important, according to Pew, which conducted the poll from July 5 to 17 among 6,034 panelists.

Vaccination status mattered most to Democrats or those who leaned Democratic, with 64% saying it was very or somewhat important to them, compared to just 14% of Republicans or those who lean Republican.

Just over half of all respondents (53%) said it’s somewhat or very important that someone’s political affiliation is displayed on their profile.

Most Democratic respondents (58%) said political leanings are important to them, compared to 40% of Republican respondents.

Tangent

Some 28% of people who used dating apps in the last year went on a virtual first date over phone or video call, but only 8% cited Covid-19 as their reason.

Key Background

In May of last year, popular dating apps Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, Hinge, BLK and Chispa partnered with the Biden Administration to promote vaccinations, including by allowing users who got the Covid-19 shot to display their vaccine status on their profiles. In addition, some apps provided premium features or boosted profiles of vaccinated users to incentivize them to get vaccinated. At the time, the White House said OkCupid users who were vaccinated or planning to be had received 14% more matches on the app.

Big Number

67.8%. That’s the percentage of Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, including people who haven’t taken booster doses, nearly two years since the shots first became available. Adults and young adults are probably more likely to use dating apps than seniors, but they’re less likely to be vaccinated. Roughly 65% of Americans ages 18 to 24 and over 70% of those ages 25 to 49 are fully vaccinated, compared to more than 92% of people ages 65 and over, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Further Reading

Annual Covid Booster? Vaccination May Soon Resemble Flu Shot Approach, White House Says (Forbes)

CDC Advisory Panel Recommends New Covid Booster Shots Targeting Omicron—Here’s What You Need To Know (Forbes)

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