Valentine's Day 2019: Dating Apps Gaining Popularity as Day of Love Nears

Mumbai: Almost 72 percent of people who intend to spend Valentine's Day are turning to dating apps to find love, while 65 percent of the respondents consider the lover's day to be "extremely unimportant," says a survey.

A higher number of men admit searching for love on dating apps and 30 percent of them are already using Tinder to meet people, according to a survey by the international data and analytics group YouGov.

It has surveyed 1,025 respondents in the country between January 29 and February 4 online. February 14 is globally celebrated as the Valentine's Day.

"A higher proportion of men with this intent are extremely comfortable with finding love around Valentine's Day through dating apps and one in three are using or have used Tinder to connect with someone," it said.

It notes that while Tinder is the go to app in the North (31 percent), a higher number of people in the South are using or have used OkCupid (16 percent) to find love.

In the survey, Tinder has emerges as the most popular dating app, used by 17 percent people, followed by Happn (8 percent), Truly Madly (7 percent) and Woo (7 percent).

The popularity of Tinder is notable amongst men and those under 30, with 22 percent of them saying they currently use or have used this app to meet people.

It notes that the app also emerges much stronger in the North and the West (21 percent each) compared to the South (11 percent).

Around 43 percent of the respondents intend to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, with over 50 percent of the married people saying so.

Around three in five respondents plan to buy a gift for their partner, while 20 percent intend to do so for their parent or family member.

One in three women expect to receive jewellery and 18 percent men are planning to gift jewellery to their partners on Valentine's Day, and 25 percent women are also looking forward to a great holiday.

However, the survey notes that 65 percent singles have no intention of celebrating the lover's day, and 30 percent agreeing with the statement that 'it's an extremely

unimportant day'.

"Online dating is becoming increasingly popular in the country, especially in metros and big cities, and people are opening up to the idea of finding love through dating apps.