Lunch Actually Annual Regional Survey 2022
More than 2300 Asian Singles Share Their Honest Opinions on Dating Apps, Dating Preferences, and How the Financial Slowdown has Impacted their Dating Life. 92% of single men in Singapore are willing to date women who earn more, while 41% of women in Singapore are willing to date men who earn less.
Asia’s first and largest lunch dating company, Lunch Actually today released the results from its Annual Singles Dating Survey 2022, with participation from over 2.300 singles in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan. These findings provide insights into their dating outlook, behavior, financial situation and life priorities this year.
Out of 500 singles in Singapore we surveyed, we found an unprecedented survey result where 92% of single men are willing to date women who earn more, which increased from last year, where 88% of single men were willing to date women who earn more. On the contrary, 41% of women are willing to date men who earn less, a decrease from 42% last year. Economic uncertainty could be one of the reasons why women are getting more specific about men's earnings.
An interesting finding is that 50% of singles surveyed still believe that the man needs to pay for dates. In comparison, 39% of singles agree to split the bills.
“Coming out of the pandemic this year, it has been challenging for most of us, as we are now facing financial uncertainty. However, our survey has shown that for most singles in Singapore, price increases have not impacted much on their dating life," says Violet Lim, CEO and Co-Founder of Lunch Actually. “Many singles in Singapore who are financially stable are prepared and ready to find the love of life even as there is a risk of a global recession in 2023.”
With the current financial uncertainty, 52% of singles said it is important to know their partner's financial situation once they get into a relationship. However, it does not necessarily mean that singles are focusing on only having financially stable partners. The survey proves that 49% of singles will still consider going on a second date based on how well they get along during the first date, and 39% say the date partner's character matters more than their employment status.
This year’s survey also revealed the timeframe of when singles are looking to escalate their relationship to the next level. 40% of singles surveyed indicated that they would decide to date someone exclusively after 3-4 dates. 42% of singles believe they need to meet or date 2-4 people before finding their life partner. 65% of singles would get married or settle down after 1-2 years of a relationship.
Compared to all the countries we surveyed, Singapore has the second-highest percentage of singles (other than Indonesia) who do not believe in sex before marriage, at 32%. At the same time, 50% of singles would choose to have sexual intimacy with someone only after they are dating exclusively.
Despite their desire to find love, singles still face many challenges when it comes to dating and finding their special someone. 52% of singles surveyed have not gone on a first date in the last 12 months. The survey also shows that 40% of singles got more frustrated while using dating apps. 56% of singles have been approached or contacted in a way that made them feel uncomfortable, 57% have been approached or contacted by a scammer, 38% have been catfished, and 58% have been ghosted on dating apps.
Online dating may be convenient, but it can be frustrating because singles will never know whether the other person they’re talking to online is the person they claim to be. With Lunch Actually, a completely offline service, clients can feel safe and secure because we meet and screen each member in person and verify their identities before signing them up and sending them on dates. We also help handpick the most suitable match for each client, so you don’t waste a lot of time and effort screening through unsuitable matches like other online dating services.
"With the proliferation of dating apps nowadays, we believe it will open more opportunities for Singles to find love. As a professional dating agency, we are always concerned about singles’ safety, and with this survey result, we feel the responsibility to create a safer platform for singles to support their journey to find love in a safe and conducive environment. Singles come to us as they know that our dating consultants have met their matches in person, vetted their identity documentations and make necessary checks to ensure that our clients are not going to be catfished,” says Violet.
Lunch Actually regularly shares tips on spotting scammers and finding success on dating apps through its webinars, blog posts, and Instagram content. We also frequently give tips on safely dating someone from dating apps. Lunch Actually is also one of the first dating agencies accredited by the Singapore government and one of the partners of the Singapore Police Force to spread public awareness of love scams.
“Through our annual dating survey and findings, we are constantly improving our product and service offerings to meet and fulfill single needs of finding love and companionship. Based on this year’s survey, more and more singles are open to international matchmaking. 61% of single men and 71% of single women indicate that they are open to go for international matchmaking. This is in line with the launch of our latest branch in Taipei. With our regional representation in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta and now Taipei, we believe that this would give more options to singles to meet and find the right one as we arrange more cross-country matches and dates,” Violet concludes.
About Annual Singles Dating Survey 2022
Lunch Actually Singles Dating Survey 2022 polled over 2,300 singles in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan in Nov 2022. In Singapore, a total of 500 singles are surveyed with the breakdown of 50% male and 50% female, and the following age groups: 24 and below (20%), 25-34 (28%), 35-44 (31%), 45-54 (15%), and 55 and above (6%).
Recommended posts
How to Handle and Avoid Dating Fatigue
Are You in Love or in Lust? Here’s How to Tell the Difference
What Makes Dating Hard?