WIREDGOV

Vaccinated users on dating apps receive 30% more matches according to new data from the companies.

• Tinder, Match, OurTime, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and Grindr have joined forces to back the Get Boosted Now campaign and encourage young people to get the jab this Valentine’s Day
• Drive comes as 40% of eligible young people aged 18-34 in England still need to come forward for a COVID-19 booster

The UK’s leading dating apps are once again joining forces in a renewed push to encourage young people to get their booster vaccines ahead of Valentine’s Day.

New data released today Thursday 10 February from Hinge shows users who share their vaccination status on dating apps receive 30% more matches than those who don’t.

Over one million users of OkCupid have added the “I’m Vaccinated” badge to their profile and on Grindr the vaccination badge is among the top three most popular, while a new survey with Plenty of Fish users found that more than one third (37%) of British singles said that they view vaccination as a desirable trait when considering matches.

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, apps such as Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and Grindr will enable people to use in-app “Join the Boosted” messages or display vaccination badges and stickers on their dating profiles to boost their chance of finding a match.

Vaccines Minister Maggie Throup said:

Getting your booster vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19. It’s great to see people making the most of our restored freedoms thanks to the vaccination programme, and now getting a booster may even help you find someone special to share them all with.

Thank you to our dating app partners for pushing this vital message ahead of Valentine’s Day and helping people swipe right on the booster jab.

While around 80% of eligible adults in England have received a booster jab, around 60% of eligible young people between the ages of 18 and 34 have been boosted. Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that shortly after getting a booster, you are 85% less likely to end up in hospital with COVID-19 than if you are unvaccinated.

UKHSA data illustrates that around 6 months after a second dose of any of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, protection against death with Omicron was around 60% in those aged 50 and over. This increased to around 95% 2 weeks after receiving a booster vaccine dose.

Tinder, the world’s most popular app for meeting new people, will feature adverts encouraging people to get their booster jabs. Vaccination badges are available for people to add to their profiles on Grindr, Tinder or OkCupid.

Alexandre Lubot, CEO of Match Group said:

As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19, vaccinations remain the best way we can protect ourselves and others.

We are proud to once again be working with the UK government in support of COVID-19 booster vaccinations to help singles in the UK date more safely and with more confidence in the coming months.

Dr Hannah Shimko, Comms and Policy Director of the Online Dating Association said:

We are grateful to our members and the wider online dating sector for their support with the vaccine booster campaign, and immensely proud of the innovative ways they encourage their users to get vaccinated and boosted.

The Online Dating Association is delighted to work with the UK government to support health initiatives that matter to online daters and allow them to date safely.

Jack Harrison-Quintana, Director of Grindr for Equality of Grindr said:

LGBTQ people, along with other minority groups, are often overlooked in emergency response planning.

That’s why we are so proud to be partnering to ensure Grindr users in Britain have access to needed booster shots.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• Match Group through its portfolio companies, is a leading provider of dating services available globally. Their portfolio of brands includes Tinder®, Match®, Meetic®, OkCupid®, Hinge®, Pairs™, PlentyOfFish®, and OurTime®, as well as a number of other brands. 
• Through their portfolio companies and their trusted brands, they provide tailored services to meet the varying preferences of our users. Their services are available in over 40 languages to our users all over the world.
• Match Group last worked with the UK Government in May 2021, introducing vaccination badges and awareness campaigns across its dating platforms.
• Imagery of badges and stickers available in dating apps available here
• The latest UKHSA data on the real world effectiveness and impact of the vaccines is available here. Please note this data will be updated later today Thursday 10 February.
• Activity from supporting partners includes:
• Tinder – Tinder will run ads in the app encouraging people to get their booster jabs. Vaccination badges are still available for users to add to their profiles to display their vaccine status.
• Match & Ourtime – Members will see “Join the Boosted” messages across both the mobile and web experiences. Members are still able to add a badge to their profiles to display their vaccine status.
• OkCupid – Users will continue to be able to display the “I’m Vaccinated” badge on their profiles if they answer “yes” in response to the OkCupid matching question, “Do you want to add a badge to your profile to tell others you’ve gotten the Covid-19 vaccine?” Already over 1M users have participated, with more users around the world adding it every day. Additionally, the Vaccinated Stack allows OkCupid daters to filter just for matches that have received the vaccine or booster.
• Hinge – Hinge is encouraging users to share their vaccination status on their profiles. Daters who share that they are “vaccinated” receive 30% more matches.
• Plenty of Fish – Members will receive in-app push notifications encouraging booster jabs and will still have the opportunity to add the “I Got the Jab” badge to their profile, further helping them connect with like-minded singles.