The way college kids are using Tinder may surprise you
Kids these days are a lot more old-fashioned than you'd think.
A new survey of 3,500 college students done by Abodo, the apartment hunting app, found some surprising results. These kids aren't nearly as modern in their approach to meeting people as you might think.
Of those surveyed, only four percent said they preferred to meet people using dating apps. Some 80 percent of college students said they still liked to meet through mutual friends or because of shared interests. The rest said they liked to leave it up to chance and meet people while out and about. How positively old-fashioned.
AdultFriendFinder — readers’ pick for casual connections
Hinge — popular choice for regular meetups
Dating apps may not be their preferred method, though that doesn’t mean these students aren’t still using them. But contrary to belief, apps haven’t led to a culture of endless hookups. A little over 90 percent of these students said they are using Tinder and other apps for purposes other than hooking up.
What might those be? Well, 34 percent of those who favored Tinder said it was mostly for entertainment. That was also the main reason given by Bumble and Grindr users. Beyond that, 15 percent of women and nine percent of men said they’re using these apps for an ego boost. And behind that, people are using them to find friends, though a friend in this case could be loosely defined.
As far as the apps they’ve opted for, nearly 85 percent of those surveyed said they’re using Tinder. Bumble, a relative newcomer, was in second place with 17 percent of people using it. In third was the old standby OKCupid, which claimed almost 9 percent.
When you think about it, college, with its built-in community and social structure, is probably among the easiest places to meet people organically, without the aid of an algorithm. So it makes a certain amount of sense that these young people aren’t leaning on apps to build their romantic lives.
Still, that kind of laid back life can't last forever. And they'll no doubt change their habits once they're out in the working world with no time left to look for love.
Topics Tinder
Cassie Murdoch is Mashable's Culture Editor.. Before coming here, Cassie was Senior Culture Writer at Vocativ. She previously wrote for Jezebel and The Hairpin. Cassie spends most of her time thinking about and consuming cheese in all its glorious forms.
