The clock is ticking on 2024, and soon, the new year will come. While many trends are predicted for 2025, the end of this year is no less interesting.
QuackQuack, an Indian dating application is witnessing a wild generational dichotomy among its users — there are reports of Millennials rushing to snag their perfect match before the curtain closes on 2024, while the Gen-Z daters are taking it easy and stressing more on being prepared to welcome love the coming year.
Ravi Mittal, founder and CEO, said, “We constantly run consumer behavior analysis to keep upgrading according to new trends- this month, we studied around 10,000 selected daters in two categories, 18 to 26 and 27 to 35. The dating style of the two age groups has seen very drastic changes in the last few weeks. While there are more matches among the 27+ age group, there’s a significant rise in screen time among the below 25 crowd.” The participants are spread out among metropolitan cities and suburban and rural areas. For a comprehensive view, participants were chosen from various fields – students, jobseekers, professionals in IT, healthcare, education, law enforcement, sales and marketing, finance, media, hospitality, and more.
The race against time
Observing the app activity and message pattern, QuackQuack concluded that Millennials, especially those between 30 and 35, have collectively made December-end the peak dating season. The dating app says there`s an overwhelming pressure of perfection and ending the season with a bang. There`s a significant spike in matches among this age group, and a striking number of daters have updated their bios with keywords “serious matches”, “serious relationship”, and “commitment”. Raghav, 33, says, “We blame family, society, peers, and whosoever for the pressure to find a match, but the reality is that it`s mostly self-inflicted. At least these days, we have dating apps with options at our fingertips, so there`s still some hope of finding someone quickly.” 24 per cent of Millennials revealed that December-ing is not just about winter, hot coffee, and festivities; there`s a flip side, and it`s checking life goals- if you are single, there`s an urgency to fix it, and hence, the rush.
New year, same me for Gen Z
On the other hand, GenZ has declared December as the `Chill Month`. There`s a notable spike in screen time with more profile browsing, increased chat hours, and a stretched-out “getting to know each other” phase among the 20 to 26 age group.
QuackQuack reveals an end-of-the-year trend among GenZ – `Mindful Mingling`, where 3 in 7 daters are noted updating their profiles with conscious bios like “slow burner romance,” “long conversations”, and a record number of “we`ll see where it goes”. This signals a low-pressure environment and more realistic expectations where the daters are more focused on organic growth than rushing to put a label.
Gen Z`s friendship-first matches
Following the laidback and mindful trend of the month, 33 per cent of GenZ women and men are seen opting for a friendship-first approach. Simmy (23), student, commented, “What`s the rush to fall in love? Relationships that start in friendship last longer. I matched with a guy- we are both interested in each other, but we still want to be just friends for a while. Getting exclusive too soon can rob you of more compatible matches.”
End of the year reflection for Millennials
21 per cent of Millennials are revisiting old matches; the spark might have fizzled out then, but there`s no reason it can`t work now, said over 18 per cent of female users above 28. There`s also a hint of ‘year-end reflection’ among men. 27-year-old pharmacist Tarun said, “I actually sat down and tried figuring out why some previous matches didn`t work out, though we seemed compatible on paper. It`s important now that I am looking for a serious relationship; I don`t want to waste my time or anyone else`s by repeating the same mistakes.”