Ahead of Valentine’s Day, dating app Bumble released its Modern Love Report which aims to shed light on how Gen Z and Millennials in India define and express love.
The report in India shares insights into nuances of modern dating and how Indians define and express love.
The new study further reveals how Indians define and express love by writing letters (63%), candlelit dinners (66%) and big gestures (51%) are considered to be the most romantic. However, 39 percent of single Indians feel that Valentine’s Day is overrated.
As our dating cultures continue to evolve in India with more single people, women in particular, being more intentional about who and how they want to date.
While 42 percent of single Indians surveyed consider public displays of affection (PDA) on social media or on real-life dates to be romantic while 34 percent consider it as a cliche.
54 percent of single Indians surveyed consider constant attention to be romantic while only 26 percent consider it cliche.
In the context of chivalry romance, over 41 percent of respondents think acts of chivalry are romantic while only 32 percent consider it a cliche.
How do Indians feel about Valentine’s Day in 2023?
39 percent of single Indians feel that Valentine’s Day is overrated and they do not feel the need to celebrate it irrespective if they are dating or not. Even though 39 perecent of single Indians want to go on a date on Valentine’s Day this year.
This is more relevant for Millennials (52%) than Gen Z (33%) while more GenZ (35%) than Millennials (28%) claim they do not want to go on a date on Valentine’s Day this year.
Bumble’s research reveals that Indians want honesty and do not play games. Women in particular want their space during the early stages of a relationship.
While 49 percent and being friends first 43 percent are more important to daters in India then responding to text messages quickly (26%).
Almost 39 percent of single Indians surveyed prefer to have open conversations about their wants and expectations while 38 percent want to date someone who is easy to talk to and one who understands them.
35 percent of respondents also believe that it’s important to have shared values and beliefs when dating someone.
27 percent of women respondents claim that it’s important that their partner gives them space and not be clingy in the early stages of dating.
‘End-goals’ in a relationship: What do people want from their dating journeys?
Over half (53%) of respondents said living together is their ‘end goal’ when dating while almost half (49%) of respondents said being married is their ‘end goal’ when looking for a relationship.
In fact, 51% of Gen Z respondents claim living together is the ‘end goal’ of their dating journey. A third (33%) of the respondents said having a child/children is their ‘end goal’ when looking for a
relationship.
Indians find intellectual intimacy attractive
Single Indians are becoming more intentional about their dating choices, prioritising their
needs for compatibility when it comes to dating someone.
Intellectual intimacy tops the charts as stimulating conversations are important to gauge compatibility. In fact, physical appearance seems to be less important as 34 percent of women respondents claimed
that they prioritise emotional intimacy and intelligence, whereas only 21 percent prioritise
physical intimacy when committing to a serious, long-term relationship.
Age gap love
In India, age-gap relationships more than often raise questions and judgements from afar
around interpersonal power dynamics between a couple.
Interestingly, looking ahead in 2023, 38 percent of single women surveyed admit being comfortable dating someone younger (1-5 years).
Outdated societal norms still dictate how women are pressured to feel when it comes to age in relationships even in 2023.
Almost 2 in 5 (39%) single women surveyed admit it gets more difficult to date when you get older as a woman, this is true for more millennial women (44%) than Gen Z (35%).
Biggest struggles women face in modern dating
Over a third (36%) of women who were surveyed said finding someone with the same level of commitment as them is one of the biggest struggles women face while dating, followed by finding someone who shares the same or similar lifestyle, values, beliefs as them (34%) and finding someone who their family will approve of (28%).
In fact, 40 percent of single women surveyed claim to be influenced by their family members’ opinions and 40 percent by their friends’ opinions when making decisions about their dating lives.
In 2023 people want to focus on challenging the status quo and outdated, antiquated dating norms without compromising on their choices, desires and needs.
Women are prioritising emotional intimacy over physical requirements, and are open to dating
without worrying about age gaps and judgements.
Some of these positive shifts are encouraging to see as dating cultures continue to evolve in India.
Insights based on nationwide surveys commissioned by Bumble and conducted by Censuswide
and YouGov across India with a sample of 2000 single adults in August and December 2022
Bumble, the women-first dating and social networking app, connects people across dating (Bumble Date), friendship (Bumble BFF) and professional networking (Bumble Bizz).
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