SINGAPORE: Half of the single respondents in a recent survey said they are not currently dating, but experts urge them to be proactive.
The findings of the 2021 Marriage and Parenthood Survey, which were released on Monday (Oct 10), showed that among those not currently dating, the top reasons cited were having a limited social circle, not having many opportunities to meet potential partners, and their preference to leave dating to chance.
Ms Michelle Goh, owner of dating agency CompleteMe, noted that being approached in the supermarket or on the bus is not common in the Asian culture, reducing the instances of such chances to meet a partner.
But relying on chance does not necessarily mean expecting to meet a partner without putting oneself “out there”, she said.
“People tell me (they) want to leave it to chance and leave it to fate, but, you see, being ‘swiped right’, both at the same time, that’s also fate,” she told CNA938’s Asia First. She was referring to mobile dating apps that typically require people to swipe their screens to the right to indicate their interest in another user’s profile.
She added that even when it comes to organised events, there is an element of fate, as it is not possible to know who will attend it – even a potential partner.
The survey also showed that among the single respondents currently not dating, 38 per cent had never dated before.
The survey, which polled more than 5,800 Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 21 to 45 between February and June last year, was commissioned by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD), a unit under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
FINDING POTENTIAL PARTNERS ONLINE
The NPTD described the proportion of single respondents who have never dated before and are not proactive in dating as “significant”.
Also speaking to CNA938’s Asia First, Dr Mathew Mathews, one of the research consultants for the survey, made a case for looking for potential partners online.
The principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies pointed to survey results that showed among those who were dating, 29 per cent said they met their partner through online channels. This was more than double the 13 per cent in 2016.
“Getting someone else or some other system involved in trying to help you make those connections – you’ve seen those trends moving up over the years,” he said.