In the first closure, there was a decrease in access to dating apps, but when the Israelis realized that a change of mind had to be made in the conduct, they flocked to pay for the apps and go on dates. • The report that reveals Israelis' habits in the past year
Date in Corona
Photography:
GettyImages
A report published by Pelephone, Bezeq International and Yes reveals a series of behaviors by Israelis over the past year in which we have all experienced mood swings and closures as part of dealing with the corona plague.
One area that caught our eye was the field of dating, where it turns out that there was volatility that started with a certain decrease in the number of dates and became a growing wave of virtual encounters from the second quarantine onwards.
In this regard, the report states that "the shock of the first closure led many Israelis to stay away from dating sites and apps, and there was an average decrease of 7% until May, and at the peak of the closure a decrease of about 15%.
However, later, with the opening of the economy for the first time and the various facilitations, Israelis began to return to dating apps, and in the second half of 2020 this is an increase of 29%, and in November an increase of about 60%.
In other words, in March, Israelis experienced depression and difficulty understanding how to meet when there are no restaurants and when there is a traffic restriction, but the adjustment has reduced the number already towards May, and has blossomed later in the year.
Assaf Navon, CEO of the dating site Shlish Gan Eden, notes that “indeed in the first closure there were a number of days of weakness, especially in the beginning.
At first there was a shock that also affected the dating field, but in the second closure there was a dramatic increase in site use.
People were alone, some in the IDF, and suddenly there was an incredible flow of people to the site. It started with an increase of 25-35 percent in October and continued into November with an increase of 40 percent. I think in the first closure people still did not know how to date while To close and therefore there was a stop, but then they discovered Zoom, learned to meet not only in restaurants, and deal with the rules of exclusion, and then it was loneliness, lack of work on the one hand and the desire for contact on the other hand did their thing. "
Less casual connections
"At the beginning of social distance, we saw a 5% increase in the number of people looking for long-term relationships, along with a 20% decrease among our users looking for flicks or short-term relationships," the Okay Cupid app said.
"In Israel, more than 90% went on virtual dates, with 35% mainly corresponding with potential spouses, 32% talking in the app's chat and 24% talking on the phone."
Despite these changes, Okay Cupid dating app executives see the past year as one of the best years for their business, at least in the country.
Here, too, there is a reversal between the month of March of the beginning of the closure and the continuation.
According to them, "there was a 470% increase in the number of our dates through virtual calls in April compared to March, when the epidemic was at its peak."
A source on the website stated that "people did not go out of their way but actually started investing in a relationship, it was a very noticeable thing during this period".
Changing perception in dating
The Okay Cupid app estimates that the dating method will change and move to a virtual slow mode.
According to their estimates, "about 840,000 people in the app stated that they think it is important to form an emotional connection before a physical connection, an indication of an upward trend of building relationships slowly. The need to build an emotional connection, in a way that probably mixed with our strong desire to fly abroad." , Caused app activists to open their searches for the longer term.
Okay Cupid users have opened their search boundaries to anywhere in the world, with 1.5 million saying they are open to remote contact.
"89% of the app's users around the world agree that a couple should live together before marriage, so there is no doubt that the past year has reminded us all of the difficulties of living alone, as a million users of the app have testified."
Meet during quarantine - and get married
Eliyahu, 29, from Brazil and Hoodia, 26, from Beit She'an, are among the couples they knew and got married during the corona closure.
"At the beginning of the winter I was at a crossroads, whether to stay in a shared apartment I lived in in Jerusalem or return to Beit She'an. At that time I was talking to another guy at the Third Paradise website, and just when I realized it was not going anywhere, Eliyahu sent a message The other, "says Hoodia.
"We arranged to meet the day after, and so it turned out that I was his first and last meeting from the site. The first date was a dizzying success, we could not take the smile off our faces, we managed the language difficulties, the Jerusalem cold and we managed to bridge over everything and really get to know each other. "His life story, I realized that there is a strong mentally and physically strong man here who can not help but fall in love with him.