Lok Saba Elections 2024 have impacted dating choices of Indian daters: Study

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The convergence of politics and dating has become increasingly evident, especially during this Lok Sabha Election, 2024. A survey conducted by one of India's online dating app, QuackQuack studies the effects of the election on Indian daters and how it influences people's dating patterns.

The desi dating app observed the activities and interactions of users and ran a poll among 11,000 Indian youth to explore the influence of politics on matches, traffic patterns on the app during voting days, and the surge in elections-related discussions.

The participants, ranging from 18 to 35, came from Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities and were mostly students, IT professionals, healthcare workers, engineers, sales and marketing experts, teachers, individuals in the beauty industry, financial services, and homemakers.

QuackQuack's founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented on the survey, "We have started seeing new trends on our app since the start of this year's elections. The understanding and impact of politics among Indian youth are very prominent; in fact, there's a notable difference in traffic on the app on polling days. In the past month, the most used words among users of our app have been 'vote,' 'elections,' and 'development.' This awareness among youth is a welcome change."

Changing social dynamics
In recent years, especially in 2024, there has been a noticeable shift in the political awareness among the young daters of India. QuackQuack observations show an almost 35 per cent increase in elections-related discussions in 2024 compared to the past five years.

17 per cent of the app's users between 18 and 28 revealed unmatching due to arguments around ideologies. This trend reflects a broad cultural shift where politics is not just a background noise but is constantly becoming one of the major topics of discussion among online daters.

Shaping dating preferences
While the common idea is that love and politics don't go hand in hand, the current trend among QuackQuack users begs to differ; it shows that political belief has started to play a significant role in shaping a relationship. 1 per cent of daters above 30 say that their match's stand on politics or, in the case of a difference in political opinion, gives a new and clear perspective and helps in forming an opinion about the person.

QuackQuack's survey also suggests that people with similar political outlooks tend to match and, importantly, stick together longer than people with stark political differences.

Traffic on polling days
The app's user engagement data shows that polling days in a particular city recorded a noticeable dip in logins and a comparatively lower engagement among users. The data backed by survey responses indicate that users were invested in casting their votes and spent more time focusing on election-related updates. This new trend shows a heightened sense of responsibility for their civic duties and interest in the electoral process.

Increased messaging post-polling day
However, the number rose significantly the day after, with a marked increase in interactions among users. 15 per cent of the respondents from both metros, suburbs, and rural areas confirmed that the conversation primarily revolved around the political situation, voting experience, and their expectations from the elections.

QuackQuack says the post-voting spike in messages shows the influence of elections, even on dating, where it has begun to act as a catalyst for match interactions. Politics has become a focal point of conversation, and more people are eager to share their views and debate the outcome.