Swipe Society: How the Swiss use dating apps

Around 20 percent of Swiss men and women find dating apps addictive (21 percent men; 18 percent women). Around a third of respondents said they used a dating app while sitting on the toilet. Men are more inclined to swipe on the porcelain throne (30 percent) than women (27 percent). 16 percent of Swiss people also swipe while eating, and 15 percent of respondents say they check their online profile at meetings. These are the results of a study by the dating app "Once" and the market research institute "Yougov". The sample size for Switzerland was 503 adults. The survey was conducted online from September 4 to 11.

11 percent do not remember how much time they spend swiping. Jean Meyer, CEO of Once, says: "Swiping and scrolling are very fast processes and therefore do not provide a basis for thoughtful decisions. This approach to modern dating is ideal for quick hookups - but it's not geared toward finding true love. Dating should be an enjoyable experience and statistics show that many people in Switzerland find it stressful, boring and even tiring. That's not the best condition to be in when you're looking for someone to care about."

Already decided in ten seconds

Men generally decide somewhat more quickly whether or not they want to get in touch with someone. 22 percent of Swiss men decide within ten seconds whether they want to meet a woman. Women, however, are not much slower in their assessment. Almost a third (31 percent) of Swiss women decide in the first 30 seconds whether or not to get in touch with someone after visiting a dating profile. Jean Meyer, CEO of Once, says: "Our culture, which is based on appearances, makes us very picky and we are hard to impress. We spend a lot of time on dating apps, but not enough time to carefully analyze the potential profile. Ten seconds is simply not enough time to make a judgment about someone who could become the love of your life and your potential partner." When asked how they feel about maintaining an online dating profile, the genders in Switzerland have almost the same opinion. Only 9 percent of the Swiss find that maintaining a dating professional l is stressful. By contrast, 48 percent enjoy dating online.

European Dating Comparison

The study by "YouGov" and "Once" looked at dating app usage trends in six European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Looking at trends across Europe, there are some differences between nations. For example, Swiss people are almost twice as likely (29 percent) to use a dating app in the restroom as Germans (15 percent). The French (4 percent) are twice as likely to use their dating app while on another date as the Austrians and Swiss (2 percent each). However, the Europeans most likely to swipe while on a date are the Italians at 5 percent. Looking at how quickly a user analyzes a profile and makes a decision, Austria is the fastest nation: 43 percent say they decide within ten seconds or less whether they will send a message. Our German neighbors are a different story: Less than a third of Germans (31 percent) assess a potential profile in ten seconds or less.

Austrians spend the most time on the app; 82 percent of them use their dating apps for up to four hours a week. This equates to eight and a half continuous days of online dating each year, without a break. They are followed by the Swiss (80 percent), French and Italians (67 percent each) and Germans (66 percent), who spend up to four hours swiping.