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As a result of the corona crisis, the world changed for everyone, including singles. As a happy single, you were suddenly no longer ready to mingle , because the measures did not allow it. Alternatives such as virtual dates and sexting became the only options – there was simply no choice, unless you wanted to risk a fine.
While they were temporary solutions to an immediate problem, it seems that some of these adjustments may be here to stay—or at least some of them, according to research from dating app Plenty Of Fish. After all, the findings show that 66% of singles plan to continue being intimate virtually, even after the coronavirus crisis. And 64% say that the coronavirus crisis has changed what they consider to be intimacy. The findings were revealed in a new survey of 2,900 US singles from Plenty of Fish and research company OnePoll.
At a time when options were limited to a minimum, 55% of young singles turned to technology to be sexually intimate. For some singles, it was the only way to have any semblance of a sex life, even if it was on a smartphone screen.
While 42% of singles are keen to meet new people again after the COVID-19 crisis and are open to physical intimacy, two-thirds admit that they will remain just as virtual after the COVID-19 crisis as they did during the COVID-19 crisis. They rely on video chats (61%), sexting (54%) and phone sex (47%).
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The evolution of intimacy
64% of singles say that virtual intimacy during the corona crisis has led to a change in their view of intimacy. Nearly 6 in 10 respondents (57%) now value other forms of intimacy more, such as emotional or intellectual intimacy , while 45% now value physical intimacy less than before corona.
Despite the impact COVID-19 has had on dating in general, singles have embraced the ‘new normal’, changing their dating behaviour and, as a result, perceptions of intimacy have changed, Plenty of Fish says.
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A shift in mindset
More than half of singles (51%) believe that one-night stands will be a thing of the past once the coronavirus crisis is over. This opinion is shared more by men than women – 61% vs. 45% respectively. A whopping 61% of singles also believe that sexting will be even more popular after the pandemic than before.
More than two in five (45%) singles say they are more confident in their ability to be virtually intimate. Again, it is more men than women, with 54% of men and 39% of women saying this.
Of all the singles surveyed, 76% have had a friends with benefits relationship since the start of the corona crisis. This often happened with someone they had known platonically for years . But it wasn’t the only way they met their needs. The singles also opted for sexy TV shows (40%), subscriptions to adult entertainment platforms (33%) and listening to podcasts about sex (30%).
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