1 In 5 Couples Meet Online?

You may have heard this stat, and you were probably as surprised as I was. That means 20% of people now meet online? Is this true?

The study was done by the online dating site, Match.com. Basically, they surveyed 7,000 committed or married couples that met within the last 5 years, and they found over half of them met online rather than at a social event, bar, or club.

BUT, and this is a big but, they also specifically added to the survey 3,000 people who HAD used online dating in the last 5 years. And they threw this data in with the 7,000 random people "to pad their stats."

So, of the 7,000 random people surveyed and the 3,000 people they ALREADY KNEW used online dating, 1 in 5 committed couples meet online.

This is in no way a random or representative study that can be generalized to society as a whole. But to give them credit, they never said it was.

And that's their saving grace, "According to a study, done by Match.com (who can set their own survey standards), 1 in 5 couples meet online."

Match.com CEO, Greg Blatt attributes the success of online dating to societal changes. "We get married older, work longer hours, move around more, and we're generally busier. These changes have put pressure on the way we traditionally have met our significant others.”

Thanks Mr. Blatt, but proximity is still the biggest predictor of the people we like and date. We grow familar with the people around us and therefore like them more. It's the people close to us we see on a regular basis we like.

According to a study by Chadwick Martin Bailey Behavioral Studies, these are how couples are meeting over the last 3 years.

Through Work/School	36%
Through Friend/Family Member	26%
Via Online Dating Site	17%
Through Bars/Clubs/Other Social Events	11%
Other	7%
Through Church/Place of Worship	4%

Although this study has its weaknesses too, as it surveyed people over 18 with Internet access and an income of over $30,000.

Still 17% of couples are meeting online, an impressive stat.

Try you're luck at Match.ca.