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Love in the time of Covid-19

Sadia Corey VP, Client Development 02/12/2021

Covid-19 has led to atypical love lives, with dating and relationships being the most affected.

Savanta looked at how love is fairing in these unprecedented times. We found that overall, pandemic love hasn't been so hot.

For married couples, it has been almost a year of living, working, and looking at one another. For singles, it has been nearly a year of figuring out how to navigate the dating scene with a deadly virus looming overhead. With restaurants, movie theatres, and bars shut down, singles are wondering how to connect.

Savanta looked at how love is fairing in these unprecedented times. We found that overall, pandemic love hasn’t been so hot. Savanta reports that 41% of couples feel a negative impact on their relationship due to the pandemic. Only 22% of the couples feel the pandemic has had a positive effect on their love life.

Sex and intimacy during Covid-19

When it comes to getting spicy in the bedroom, about half (49%) of couples do not feel any change in sexual adventure. The other half is divided. Perhaps out of boredom, 26% of couples feel more sexually experimental, and 25% just aren’t feeling it.  A little less than half of couples (48%) report changes in the amount of sex and intimacy in their relationships. 29% feel the pandemic has had positive impacts on sex and intimacy, and 19% of couples feel a negative impact.

The weird world of dating during Covid-19

Sadly, the pandemic is responsible for the majority of breakups over the past year. 61% of single Americans say the pandemic is the reason they are now single. Ouch!

What’s even more interesting is that Savanta data shows that these new singles aren’t too eager to find another partner during Covid-19. Only 22% of singles report using a dating app during the pandemic. Tinder is the most used dating app (54%), followed by Bumble (31%), POF Main (19%), and Match.com (15%), respectively.

When singles did meet up, the majority of them (12%) went on an outdoor date such as a walk or picnic, 10% went on an indoor date to a bar or restaurant, 9% went on a date via an online platform such as Zoom, and 6% attended an online or in-person event for singles.

Perhaps out of convenience, 12% of the singles got in touch with their ex-partner as a means for companionship during the pandemic.

Living together is on the rise due to Covid-19

The pandemic did push the envelope when it comes to cohabitating. 41% of the couples who did not live together before Covid-19 now report more willingness to give it a go.

Those who are living together are divided on how the pandemic has changed their relationship. Savanta data shows that 35% of couples feel a negative effect on their relationship, and 24% feel that living together has been positive for their relationship.

The good news is that despite all this heartache, just over one quarter (28%) of American couples plan to celebrate more than usual this Valentines’ Day. While that is far from a majority, it’s nice to hear that many couples plan to honor their love after a not so splendid year.

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