Tinder reveals the politicians users talk about most — and, yes, AOC tops the list
There’s nowhere you can go to escape the political hell we’ve been living in since 2016 -- not even on dating apps, apparently.
On Thursday, Tinder released its year in review, called The Year in Swipe - What 2019 Taught Us About the Future of Dating. Among other things, they broke down which politicians, specifically, users are talking about.
Many on the list aren’t that unsurprising. There are plenty of political figures that received massive media coverage — among them 2020 candidates like Sanders and Warren, and much-buzzed about politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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Hinge — popular choice for regular meetups
The wild cards on Tinder’s list are climate activist Greta Thunberg, who became an international household name in 2019, and special counsel Robert Mueller, whose report was released in March even though this year has felt long enough to span decades.
“As we approach an election year, it’s no surprise that politics saw some serious action on Tinder. Democratic presidential candidates, along with our current president, dominated the list of political figures who helped give Tinder members something to talk about,” explains the year in review. “But a few well-known triplet acronyms, AOC and RBG, also gave daters a chance to connect.”
Talking politics with potential partners on dating apps is not a new phenomena: OKCupid saw a 64 percent increase in political terms after the 2016 election. The app added political questions — first about Trump, then about other issues like Supreme Court appointees — so users could filter based on responses.
There’s also heightened skepticism of users who list their political affiliation as “moderate,” with left-leaning users suspecting these moderates are just conservative and too embarrassed to say so.
Given the polarizing political climate, it’s no surprise that people have taken to discussing their favorite — or least favorite — political figures even when chatting with possible dates. “Relationship pairings are about value systems,” said Dr. Katherine Hertlein, professor with the Couple and Family Therapy program within the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s School of Medicine. “One way to evaluate the value system of another is through knowledge of an examination of their political stance.”
According to Hertlein, the increase in dating app political chatter may be due to users searching for validation of their own beliefs. When family and friend validation are not enough, they could seek it through other means — including strangers on Tinder. “I think people are looking for validation in their own perspectives and the way to do that is to reach out to more people,” Hertlein said.
Writer Meagan Fredette is one user who has noticed an increase of political discussion on apps. “On my bio I put ‘a great first date with me would be discussing our global warming contingency plans while watching a Nets game’ and guys take that opening more often than not when messaging me,” she said of her app of choice, Hinge.
Specifically, Fredette has observed enthusiasm on Hinge from Sanders supporters. “Folks are invested in the primaries but it feels like, the majority of people who are out about their candidate on dating apps are Bernie people,” she said. “They tend to post photos of themselves at Bernie rallies and whatnot. You don’t see that with the other candidates.”
Liberals who are not Sanders supporters, according to Fredette, still get political on Hinge — they just do it in a different way. “I can usually tell if they're not Bernie people, because in their bios they will list specific issues they care about. Healthcare, housing, Decrim, etc,” she noted. “But if they are pro-Bernie, they make it obvious.”
Tinder and other dating apps have not been quiet about politics. While remaining non-partisan, Tinder collaborated with Rock the Vote during the 2018 midterm election cycle to create Swipe the Vote, a campaign for users to register to vote. This year, Hinge partnered with Rock the Vote as well; for every “like” on an Instagram post for three days, beginning the first day of the Democratic primary debates, Hinge donated $1 to Rock the Vote up until $50,000. “We’ve partnered with Rock the Vote to get you registered to vote AND out on more great dates,” the post exclaimed.
Tinder’s year in review included other, non-political tidbits as well. For example, the majority of Tinder users are now under 25, meaning Gen Z is the apps biggest demographic. Furthermore, the facepalm emoji received special attention in the report, having a 41 percent increase in usage in Tinder bios in 2019.
Will Tinder and other apps see an even further increase once we reach 2020, the election year? Hertlein thinks so. She said, “When people get anxious, they look for connection and validation, thus increasing engagement with others.”
And we can call it now: Tinder users, and people in general, will be pretty anxious in 2020.
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Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.
