India, August 2nd, 2023: Tinder, the world’s most popular dating app for meeting new people, has released new insights about how 18-25-year-old young singles in Kolkata are supercharging dating in a way that no previous generation has done before them. In Kolkata, where traditions meet modernity, young singles are challenging traditional relationship goals, embracing their cultural individuality, and embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Dating apps have become a bonafide stepping stone into the dating pool for many singles, with Tinder standing out as the #1 most-downloaded dating app amongst 18 year olds globally to forge authentic connections that reflect their individuality. 3 out of 5 young adults in Kolkata believe that dating apps allow them to connect with someone they would otherwise never have met in their day to day life opening them up to a world of endless possibilities. To uncover the current landscape of dating, Tinder’s Future of Dating in Kolkata Edition shares insights on how young singles in the city navigate romance and meaningful connections with a fresh and fun approach.
Quote on behalf of Aahana Dhar, Director of Communications, Tinder India, “We are excited to reveal new insights about how the future of dating is shaping up in Kolkata. This generation of young adults in Kolkata know exactly what they’re looking for when considering someone’s profile, with interests, lifestyle preferences and dating intent outweighing everything else. From finding love in the magic of festivals to prioritizing mental well-being, they are leading the charge in redefining the boundaries of modern romance. Tinder is proud to be a part of their journey, connecting them to endless possibilities.”
6 Dating Trends in Kolkata from Tinder
Relationships without labels: Gen Z in Kolkata know exactly what they’re looking for when considering someone’s profile with one of the most important factor being dating intent (64%).1 Gen Z prefer to use terminology that doesn’t try to define a connection before they’re ready to, or even want to – hence terms like vibing, kicking it, deep liking, and of course the word of the season - situationship - aligning more with how 18-25 year olds perceive the dating process. In fact, 45% young singles in Kolkata pick situationships (a relationship without any pre-set agendas centered around transparency and freedom)1 as their current dating preference. This showcases their desire for the freedom to redefine love on their own terms, embracing a low-pressure approach to dating that has cracked open a whole new world of meaningful Relationship Goals or Relationship Types. It also stems from their strong belief of challenging traditional relationship goals and dating standards handed down from previous generations with a remarkable 89% of them ‘challenging traditional relationship goals and dating standards' to become more self-aware, open and fluid in how they view gender, sexuality and dating.
Dating Compatibility - where culture meets intellect: The value of real connection and presenting their ‘true selves’ is high on Gen Z’s agendas when it comes to dating. Case in point is 86% young singles in Kolkata agree that being aligned on cultural values with a match is important to them.1 Intellectual stimulation is also an important criteria with 72% of surveyed singles rate alignment of current affairs and political beliefs with their potential partners as important. Young singles in Kolkata also rated career ambitions (57%) and attitudes about money (51%) as traits that matter.1 These singles are chasing cultural chemistry, intellectual fireworks, and financial harmony.
Festive First Dates FTW: Kolkata's young singles have cracked the code to a memorable IRL date – blend festivals and culture with a chance for something real. For young singles in Kolkata (47%) top first date of choice and highest compared to any other city in India is festivals and cultural events. In fact, nearly 30% of them use Tinder in Kolkata to find their perfect match during these festivities.1 Not just that, 43% believe these cultural festivals are the perfect time to introduce a date to fam and friends, keeping it low-pressure.1 Looks like searching for new matches while munching on delicious street food at Pujo is the way to go!
Joshua Benjamin, a 25-year-old Tinder member from Kolkata, shares his story "One of my most incredible Tinder dates was with a girl I matched with during Durga Puja. She was fun and smart and we had so many common interests, like our love for cars, sneakers and eating street food. Expectedly, our first hangout was pandal hopping and indulging in puchka and jhal muri. Before we knew it we had to head home, but not without capping off the night with dinner at a cozy restaurant. We were upfront about looking for a casual relationship and that clarity made it such a fun and honest process, leaving us both with fond memories of the day.
Being Funny, Forward and Responsible is sexy AF: GenZ in Kolkata are digital natives that feel at home online and don’t see the need for perfectly curated profiles or extensively filtered photos. Lifestyle preferences and interests like shared music taste, compatibility in personality types, mutual love for travel, and a funny dating bio are some of the factors that make a match most attractive. Green Dating has also seen an uptick with 30% finding it downright attractive.1 Clearly, young singles are happy to display their true authentic selves from the outset, for this group, doing pre-date homework and being clear on where you stand isn’t considered “too much” – it’s for anyone who wants to champion realness.
Dating starts with ME: If we really want to get to the heart of things, it’s Gen Z who is saving – and savoring – the art of getting to know someone, with that most important someone being themselves. 87% young singles in Kolkata say that they find matches who prioritise their mental well-being more attractive and 85% say that having a partner who values self care is critical to a happy relationship.1 It's no coincidence that 81% say they will never compromise on self-care practices or boundaries for a relationship, highest amongst all cities in the country.1
Love knows no borders: With almost half (42%) of young singles in Kolkata open to finding love in another city or making meaningful connections across borders, distance is no match for the kind of match they want to vibe with.1 46% of passport users globally use Tinder’s Passport but don’t travel to the place they have passported to directly after, which suggests that Tinder members have a strong interest in exploring possibilities outside their immediate network.2 18-25 year olds passported on average 9 times a month. Top destinations in India where young singles on Kolkata passport to are Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Town (Kolkata) and Delhi and their top international cities are London, Dhaka, Pattaya, Melbourne and Manilla.3 What started as an experiment in breaking people out of their immediate social bubbles has coalesced into dating becoming more diverse –racially, culturally and geographically– than ever before.
1 A study of 1000 18-25 year old dating singles across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kochi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Guwahati between April - May 2023 conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tinder
2 Internal Tinder data from the Passport feature (Tinder Gold subscription feature) 2023
3 Applies to 18-25 yr old Tinder subscribers who have access to the Passport feature
About Tinder
Launched in 2012, Tinder is the world’s most popular app for meeting new people and has been downloaded more than 530 million times. The app is available in 190 countries and 45+ languages. More than half of all users are 18-25 years old. In 2022, Tinder was named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.
