A study of modern connection in the UK
Never easier to communicate. Never harder to truly connect.
Almost half of UK singles (47%) say it has never been harder to really connect with people, so we asked over 3,000 of them how they match, date and connect in 2026.
of dating app users have had a relationship with someone they met on an app.
The Spark Study in six numbers
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50%
of dating app users have had a relationship with someone they met on an app.
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32%
of singles didn’t meet anyone new in person last month, yet singles spend 4.7 hours a week socialising online.
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4%
of Gen Z met their most recent partner in a pub, bar or club, compared to 21% of Boomers.
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49%
of Gen Z are looking for a life partner or a long-term relationship. Only 8% want something casual.
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67%
of women worry about their personal safety before a first date, compared with just 31% of men.
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39%
of singles have used AI in their dating life, rising to 66% of Gen Z. But 66% say letting AI hold their conversations for them is unacceptable.
From 3,007 single adults (18+) across the UK, surveyed between 28 August and 1 September 2026.
Generations: Gen Z are aged 18-29, Millennials 30-44, Gen X 45-60 and Boomers 61+.
The Gap
Talking more, meeting less
UK singles spend 4.7 hours a week socialising online, almost as much as the 5.3 hours they spend socialising in person. Yet a third (32%) didn’t meet anyone new in person last month. More than half of singles (52%) haven’t asked someone out or been asked out in person in the past year.
The old places to meet someone have lost their pull
A fifth of Boomers (21%) met their most recent partner in a pub, bar or club, compared with just 4% of Gen Z. Dating apps and friends are tied as the most common way to meet a partner, at 20% each for all generations.
The Rebuild
Dating with intention, on their own terms
Younger singles are dating with the most intention. Half of Millennials (52%) and Gen Z (49%) are looking for a life partner or a long-term relationship, compared with 14% of Boomers. Singles are also thoughtful about how they date. A coffee has replaced drinks as the ideal first date (43%), and only 19% want it to involve alcohol.
Trust and safety come first
Two thirds of women (67%) worry about their personal safety before a first date, compared with 31% of men. Before meeting someone from an app, 68% of women tell someone their plans. And 68% of singles think the dating apps that succeed in the future will be the ones with the best safety features.
The Bridges
From talking to meeting
Two in five singles (39%) have used AI in their dating life, rising to 66% of Gen Z. The most common uses are getting advice about someone they are talking to, planning date ideas, practising what to say and building confidence. But singles have drawn a clear line: 66% say letting AI hold conversations for them is unacceptable.
Friends help too
Almost half of singles (47%) find a double date with a friend appealing, rising to 52% of Gen Z and Millennials. More than one in five (22%) would rather meet someone new with friends around, including 29% of women.
The modern happy ending
More than half of app users (56%) have had a relationship with someone they met on an app, and 77% have dated someone they met on one. And 56% of singles agree that deleting the app because you have met someone is the equivalent of a modern happy ending.
The new rules of trust and safety
Men worry most about chemistry. Women worry most about honesty and are more than twice as likely as men to worry about their safety before a first date.
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Safety comes first
Dating confidence grows when people feel protected, informed and in control.
Match Group’s Commitment to Safety. (opens in a new tab) -
41%
of women have felt unsafe when meeting someone new for a date
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53%
of Gen Z have felt unsafe on a date
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62%
of women say safety always or often decides where, when and whether they meet someone
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3
separate precautions women take on average before a date
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68%
of singles think the most successful dating apps of the future will be the ones with the best safety features
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Read the full report
What over 3,000 UK singles told us about loneliness, first dates, safety, AI and the modern happy ending.
