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In 2007, 7.8 million single Britons used
some form of online dating service to find romance, compared to the 5.4
million who used a mixture of offline and online services in 2005.
If many British singles still prefer the more casual approach, with over one
third (39%) ready to sit back and wait for that special person to come along
by chance, Internet dating is now far more than a niche activity: in the
last 12 months, 52% of British men and 48% of women have used the Internet
to find a date, compared to 2005 figures of 36% for men and 34% for women.
What's more, 53% of singles (59% of men and 46% of women) say they intend to
use the Internet meet someone in the future, with figures rising to 65% with
36 to 40 year olds who say they intend to log on to find love in 2008.
Nearly one third of singles (29%) believe it's a great way of finding love
(as opposed to a casual fling), and nearly two thirds of singles (57%) say
it's socially acceptable, even if 25% of people in a relationship would beg
to differ.
There are an estimated 15 million singles now living in Britain (source ONS
2006) of which half (51% or 7.65 million) are looking for a long
term-relationship; 17% would prefer a casual relationship and 28% are not
looking for a relationship at all. However, unlike their European
counterparts - who, with the exception of Ireland, would choose an
unformalised long-term relationship over marriage (across Europe an average
of 35% favour a long-term relationship and 17% a marital commitment) - UK
singles would go for commitment leading to marriage (29%) rather than simple
cohabitation (24%). As might be expected, it's women in the UK who
especially favour marriage vows: one third of them (33%) are looking forward
to their Big Day, compared to just one quarter (24%) of British men.
Source: http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=36263&hilite
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