VERIFIED BRIEFINGUPDATED JUL 21, 20264 MIN READBY POOL REPORT RESEARCH DESK

Online dating experiences: positive, negative, and both

Verified statistics on positive and negative online dating experiences, including differences by gender and sexual orientation.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Pew found that 53% of online-dating users called their experience positive and 46% called it negative, with meaningful differences across groups.

53%: positive overall
46%: negative overall
57% vs. 48%: positive among men vs. women

The national split is close

Fourteen percent of users said their experience was very positive, while the broader positive total reached 53%. Forty-six percent described it as very or somewhat negative.

That near-even split is a better summary than saying online dating either works or fails. Both reactions are common in the same national survey.

Experiences differ across groups

Men were more likely than women to report a positive experience, 57% versus 48%. LGB users were also more likely than straight users to report a positive experience, 61% versus 53%.

These are descriptive survey differences. They do not establish that gender or orientation caused the experience rating.

Positive and harmful experiences can coexist

A user can report an overall positive experience and still have encountered harassment, unwanted messages, or a suspected scammer. The questionnaire measured those experiences separately.

That is why a responsible overview shows experience ratings beside, not instead of, safety and harassment findings.

SOURCE RECEIPTS

Open the evidence.

These links go to the publisher—not a secondhand statistic roundup.

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Pew Research Center
From Looking for Love to Swiping the Field
Nationally representative survey of 6,034 U.S. adults, fielded July 5–17, 2022, with definitions and subgroup tables.
Open source ↗

COMMON FOLLOW-UPS

Are these numbers current dating-app user counts?

No. They are survey estimates from Pew’s July 2022 fieldwork, published in 2023. They measure reported experience among U.S. adults, not live platform accounts or monthly active users.

Are men happier with dating apps than women?

In Pew’s survey, 57% of male users and 48% of female users rated their overall experience positively. That is an association, not proof of why the difference exists.

Can an experience be positive even without a relationship?

Yes. The question asked for an overall rating, not whether the user found a long-term partner.