After a few years of emotional chaos, 2024 is looking more and more likely to be the year of ROMANCE, with more singles than ever – 70%, in fact – feeling positive about what lies ahead for them in the dating world next year and if 2024’s dating trends are anything to go by, it’s going to be a iiiiiinteresting year!
So you’ve decided that 2024 is YOUR year and, like the mighty New Zealand Warriors (up the Wahs – trust me, there’s a reason for the sport reference) it’s your time to shine and hit the ground running on a remarkable season (well, in your case, a season of dating of course).
According to our pals at Bumble it’s shaping up to be an absolute cracker of a year as far as love goes and hell, we’re absolutely HERE for it after the shitshow of the last few turns around the sun. So, if you’re planning to put yourself out there and get swiping, here are six dating trends to look out for as you hunt for your lobster (or just a good time, you do you boo!).
Click here for our previous instalments of The Bumble Diaries!
1. BETTERMENT BURNOUT
From biohacking and starting your day at 5am, to plugging into self-help podcasts, there has been a rise in people ‘self-optimising’ – striving to become a perfect version of themselves. Look, we’re all for bettering yourself with a good morning routine, but taken too far, this has led the majority of singles (55%) to feel pressure to constantly look for ways to better themselves, leaving 1 in 4 (24%) feeling unworthy of a partner. Looking ahead to 2024, singles are rebelling against the constant self-improvement with more than 2 in 3 women surveyed (68%) taking active steps to be happier with who they are here and now. In fact, 40% of women will now only date people who will not try to change them and we are SO here for that statistic.
2. MVP – MOST VALUABLE PARTNER
With a new wave of women tennis stars, a constant stream of sports documentaries and the Olympics next year, sport is set to take a front seat in dating – or maybe we’re just all after our own Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story? For 1 in 3 (31%) singles, a shared love of sport has now become a ‘must have’ regardless of if you’re a player or simply a spectator (and for me, a sport-obsessed woman, this could NOT be better news as far as dating trends go!). Our obsession with sport is also changing how we date with a quarter of people (24%) stating that attending sport together is important, particularly amongst Gen-Z and Millennial singles. In New Zealand, more than half (54%) of profiles on Bumble include a sport interest badge and the top athletics include: gym, running and soccer.
3. TIMELINE DECLINE
People, especially women, continue to feel a constant pressure to follow traditional relationship timelines. Into 2024, we’re seeing the decline of timelines in favour of women choosing to actively build their own path, with 1 in 3 (31%) women saying they are no longer focused on adhering to traditional timelines and milestones (PRAISE THE LORD). This is reflected in intentions with nearly 3 in 4 (72%) of women looking for a long-term relationship and only 1 in 5 (23%) seeking marriage. For nearly a third (31%) of women, this means only dating people who have the same perspective on timelines and milestones. And for 1 in 8 (16%) this means actively avoiding friends and family who put pressure on them.
4. VAL-CORE DATING
Singles today are looking for shared priorities and expect their partners to not only care about social causes but to actively engage. Val-Core refers to the rise of people valuing engagement on issues that matter to them and is becoming a more and more important dating trend. For 1 in 4 (25%) people on Bumble it is key that their partner actively engages with politics and social causes, in fact it makes them more attractive. When it comes to dating, Bumble’s research shows that women are less open to someone with differing political views and for 1 in 3 (33%) women it is a turn off if someone they are dating is not aware of current societal issues.
5. INTUITIVE INTIMACY
For people today, and particularly women, it seems attraction comes down to one key thing: emotional intimacy (I mean how long have we known this, but it’s lovely men are starting to catch on!). Singles are focused on finding security, safety, and understanding, with a third (32%) of people surveyed on Bumble believing that emotional intimacy is now more important than sexand that it’s actually more attractive than physical connection. When it comes to dating, for 3 in 4 women (78%) say it’s key that their partner has an understanding of both emotional and physical intimacy. In 2024, it’s time to get in your feels.
6. OPEN-HEARTED MASCULINITY
The year has been filled with global conversations about masculinity and gender roles in fashion, media, music, and film (ken-ergy, anyone?). When it comes to relationships, 1 in 4 (25%) men state that they have actively changed their behaviour, becoming more vulnerable and open with people they are dating than ever before. For a quarter of men (25%), this new-found openness has had a positive impact on their mental health and for 1 in 3 (32%) a lack of vulnerability is now a dating dealbreaker.
