New UK data released by Ofcom, the UK’s official communications regulator, looks at what people are doing online. This includes dating apps.
While a variety of dating apps (Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, etc.) are used across the population and among younger generations, one particular app stands out when it comes to people over 54.
Yes, it’s a grinder!
For older demographics, Grindr has soared ahead of Tinder, Plenty Of Fish, and Match.com.
Users also spend more time on the app than the next three dating apps combined. For example, during his month in May 2023, users spent an average of 6 hours and 49 minutes scrolling and tapping. This compares to 1 hour and 13 minutes on Tinder.
In terms of reach, Ofcom says the equivalent of 1.9% of the UK population logs on to Grindr. Overall, just over 10% of the adult population used dating apps in 2023, and 5% (or 2.5 million people) used Tinder.
In terms of reach, Tinder has the largest reach in the UK, with an average of 899,000 daily users in May 2023. Next he had Hinge and Bumble with 671,000 and 587,000 users respectively. However, these numbers begin to decrease in older age groups.
Grindr had an average daily user count of 374,000 in May 2023. The next primarily gay app in the top 10 was Squirt, which had 79,000 daily users that month.
There are many reasons why so many people over the age of 54 are on Grindr.
Obviously, there are more straight people in the world, and they have more opportunities to form new romantic connections in real life. Gay men are much more accustomed to seeking partners through certain queer spaces, whether it’s bars or apps.
Gay men over 45 are more likely to be single than straight men.
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Grindr, unlike other dating apps, gives users the choice of whether or not to use their photos. This is more likely to appeal to those seeking discretion.
Metro spoke to a 57-year-old Grind user named Norbert about why he loves the app.
“The Grinder has dismantled traditional age boundaries,” he says, adding, “There is no room for pretense.
“At my age, every interaction is about finding a real relationship, and Grindr facilitates that easily.”
Looking at the overall population, the age group that most frequently uses dating apps is 25-34 years old. In May of this year, about one in five people of the same generation used a matching app.
Other notable points from the UK report include:
- Facebook has fallen slightly behind YouTube as the country’s most-visited social media platform for the first time.
- Almost a quarter (23%) of internet users aged 16 and older have tried Meta’s new service Threads at least once in the first two months since its launch in July 2023.
- One-third (29%) of adult internet users visited an online service for pornographic content on May 23rd. Most were male (73%) and most accessed during the day.
- More than a fifth of children lie about their social media age as 18 or older on their online profiles.
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