LOS ANGELES, Calif., Aug 31, 2021 - Before we officially head into pumpkin spice season, everyone wants to know, did summer live up to the hype? According to a new Tinder survey, 49% of Gen Z daters took full advantage of the summer*. Signals also point to Hot Vax Summer happening on Tinder. Daily average Swipe activity and messages were up 13% and 12% respectively and conversations were 38% longer compared to April, May and June of 2020**. All that activity led to 76% of survey respondents saying they went on more dates as compared to last summer. So how did Hot Vax Summer look on Tinder? Here are the top five trends...and a prediction for the Fall.
1. Showing Off Summer Vibes with Video
Tinder launched video bios on the first day of summer, and they quickly became the best way to show off your summer sizzle reel to a potential match. Top categories of videos showcased outdoor adventures like hiking, jetskis and even long walks on the beach (seriously!). More than half (56%) of Gen Z daters agree it’s easier to show off your personality in a video than in a photo, and millions stepped up.
2. Vaxed and Waxed
As the moniker suggests, Hot Vax Summer happened because of the vaccine for 43% of respondents. Sharing the post-vaccine lifestyle made them feel safer to meet someone. Tinder also worked with the White House to help encourage Gen Z to get vaccinated with its Vaccine Center. More than two million people in the U.S. added badges to their profile to share their status and advocate that potential matches get vaccinated.
Bios
Living the post-vaccine high life
I have all my vaccines :)
Wanna catch some waves??
3. Cute Dates are Cheap Dates
As predicted in the Future of Dating Report, dates that were more creative than a dinner and movie grew in popularity this summer. Starting in June, there were increases in bios mentions of picnic dates (+64%), beach hangs (+35%), bookstore browsing (+31%) and roller skating (+20%). Affordability was a major benefit, 6 in 10 survey respondents felt that “outside was expensive” this summer.
Bios
New to town :) on the hunt for the best picnic spot in the city
Taurus ✨ looking for someone to share my picnic blanket with
Bookstore and lunch date?
4. Dates Got Weirder
While expectations for summer were high, a few factors got in the way of making it feel like a typical free-for-all. Dreams of cute outfits were squashed by a year of sweats, as 21% admit to wearing sweats on dates and to social gatherings this summer. After a year or so of lockdown, more than half of respondents (54%) feel more awkward in social settings.
Bios
I wear scrubs and sweatpants… take it or leave it
I’m really awkward but I have a dog if that helps
awkward but situationally funny so there’s that
5. An Unexpected Summer Cuffing
Some didn’t expect a relationship to bring their Hot Vax Summer to a close (before it even really started!). Twenty-nine percent of people channeled their inner Bennifer and rekindled a romance with an old flame. Thirty-eight percent of people channeled their Olivia Wilde + Harry Styles -- they got with someone and missed out on Hot Vax Summer, but agreed it was well worth it.
Bios
Just looking for a man who looks like Pete Davidson with the personality of Seth Rogen
No FOMO Fall
Even with concerns of the Delta variant, 66% of all survey respondents feel hopeful that Fall will bring fresh opportunities to meet new people and 57% of people are going to be more thoughtful about socializing in public to be mindful of growing COVID cases. When it comes to relationships, 53% of people would like to be in a relationship this Fall, while 27% are open to casually dating but do not want to be committed. Only 6% of respondents would prefer to be single this Fall.
Bios
Prepping for witch bitch autumn
Love a good scary movie and cuddles. Some chilly fall weather too.
Its almost fall, I'm just trying to go to pumpkin patches, haunted houses and other fall activities
The delta variant is coming and I’m not going into lock down alone again!
* Tinder conducted a survey of 1,000 US dating app users
** Match Q2 2021 earnings report
About Tinder
Tinder was introduced on a college campus in 2012 and is the world’s most popular app for meeting new people. Available in 190 countries and 40+ languages, Tinder is the highest grossing non-gaming app globally. It’s been downloaded more than 450 million times and led to more than 60 billion matches. Swipe, Tinder, and the flame logo are registered trademarks of Match Group, LLC.
