Overall, only 9% of online adults say they have searched online for information about someone they are dating or in a relationship with, with women and younger internet users more likely to search online for information. Perhaps because of safety concerns, online women are more likely to do their dating homework than online men are (11% of online women vs. 7% of online men have done this). Likewise, young adults, who are more actively engaged in the dating scene and whose social lives tend to be more deeply infused with online media are also more apt to do their dating homework online when compared with older users. While 16% of users ages 18 to 29 have researched romantic partners online, 10% of those ages 30 to 49 have done so. That compares with fewer than 5% of users ages 50 and older who say they have done this. Read More
Looking For Love Online
Russell Heimlich is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.