Even before the pandemic, Americans weren’t the most romantically inclined.

We were in the midst of a loneliness epidemic, getting married later than ever before, and even having less sex than our parents.

But the pandemic changed all that… for the worse.

As if getting a date wasn’t difficult enough, now we had to deal with restrictions, social distancing, and a deadly disease that as of writing this has killed 800,000 Americans in under two years.

As the situation changes so do our dating habits.

The issues we dealt with in 2020 aren’t the same in 2021, and won’t be in 2022.

So the question is, has dating gotten any better since the beginning of the pandemic?

Has dating in 2021 vs 2020 changed at all or are we still all too peeved out to put ourselves out there?

To best understand this question, let’s trace the impact of the virus on our dating lives chronologically.

Dating In 2021 vs 2020

2020: Jan-March

In the romantic world, COVID wasn’t the biggest story in early 2020; it was the end of cuffing season.

Cuffing season starts around the end of autumn and ends just before Valentine’s Day.

For those unaware, cuffing season is a short period of time in which two people that normally wouldn’t shack up do so. The thinking behind this is that it’s more difficult to endure the cold winter months alone, so by shacking up they ensure they’ll have someone to spend the depressing winter months with.

However, we don’t always choose partners worth bringing home to the parents for cuffing buddies.

This is why towards the end of winter and of course before V-day, the season comes to a close, relationships are ended, and couples are not liberated to pursue new love interest with spring around the corner.

Yet surely cuffing season would have been extended had they known what was to come.

Despite the whispers of a budding disease that was spreading throughout Asia most people paid it no mind during the early months of 2020.

The vast majority of my clients were still dating in person without fear of contracting a virus they knew next to nothing about.

That all changed in early-mid March when the virus started to quickly spread throughout the states and schools, businesses, cities, states, and later the entire country shut down.

2020: April-May

April is when shit really hit the fan, especially on the east coast.

As businesses shut down, people lost jobs, and millions were scared to interact with anyone outside their homes dating took a backseat, or rather it was jettisoned from the vehicle.

During this epoch roommates were setting new ground rules as to who they could see outside of the house, furtive grounds for meeting singles were shut down, and the sight of someone without a mask on their face became a raging turn-off.

Despite this, some dating apps tried to spark relationships from a safe distance.

Tinder for one, granted all users free access to its travel feature for the month of April (something it later did again in April of 2021). It also enabled video calls through the app. 

Bumble also made some adjustments by implementing audio notes, adding COVID-related preferences, and allowed users to extend their discovery preferences. The app widely known as “feminist Tinder,” also saw a 93% increase in the app’s video and call feature from March to April.

2020: June-Dec – Dating In 2021 vs 2020

By the early days of summer, there are some clear-cut trends that start to appear.

One is virtual dating.

By the end of early March, usage of online dating apps globally had increased 82% from the month prior.

But it’s not just that these apps were being used more often, but in more in-depth ways than ever before.

Bumble recorded a 26% increase in the number of messages sent on its platform from March to April, Tinder saw the average length of a conversation rise by 30% as Bumble saw a 93% increase in video calls in Bumble a week after Drumpf declared a national emergency.

All in all people were flocking to dating apps.

As COVID tour through the states, dates were almost exclusively happening online.

But not everyone chose to stay away from their new virtual flames.

In fact, the fear of contracting the disease drove a wedge through America’s dating habits.

While some people embraced “slow burn” dating, others chose to move in with their new partners in record time.

Knowing that you weren’t going to date around some singles chose to make things official quicker than they normally would, while others went a step further and moved in with their new partners.

Others however decided to take things slow by only meeting outside, dating at a distance, and waiting longer than they normally would to become intimate.

2021 January – Feb 2021

In January of 2021 the festivities were in full swing — and so was COVID.

Historically at the turn of the new year dating is rocking.

Positive vibes are in the air, alcohol is your biggest cheerleader as you speak to more strangers than ever, and your parents are nagging you about finding someone and settling down.

But January of 2021 wasn’t normal.

Magically (and expectedly) the pandemic did not come to an end in 2021.

It watched the ball drop with us as we brought in the new year with a collection of our closest and most PCR-tested friends.

This winter was chillier than most.

2021 March – May

In the early spring, our dating lives began to slowly change.

The sexiest thing about our new suitors weren’t the six-packs or shapely ass they’d been working on during the pandemic, but rather their vaccine status.

Hope was renewed with the widespread vaccinations and dating surged.

Many were looking forward to what was being deemed the “Summer of Love.”

Slowly more in-person dates were taking place as people seemed enthusiastic to meet someone after what felt to many like hibernation the year before

2021 June-July

It’s at this point there were talks of festivals and weddings taking place. Major sporting events were starting to invite guests and more and more people were heading back into the world, emboldened by their new immunity.

That being said, many of the dating habits picked up during the early days of the pandemic still hung around.

Singles still took full advantage of the wealth of dating apps featured introduced during 2020.

More than ever before users were uploading audio notes, playing virtual games with matches, and having voice calls and video calls with their romantic interests.

Americans were vaxxed, waxed, and ready for a shot-girl summer.

2021 August-Oct 

By September of 2021 7-10 adults were at least partially vaccinated. 

To the healthcare workers, service industry, and vulnerable this was a major relief.

To the single men and women of America that had been in sexual liberation for the last year, this meant it was time to bang.

Despite the third wave wreaking havoc, states were open and Americans felt safer than ever.

By this point in time Americans realized that by and large, the only people that were getting seriously ill were unvaccinated. For those that had already been jabbed it felt like a get out of jail free card that they could use at least until their immunity began to wane.

2021 November-Present 

At this point, most laymen thought we’d be done with this thing.

However with only 60% of Americans fully vaccinated, Delta raging, and Omicron threatening, we’re still very much in the midst of a pandemic.

But at this point, most Americans are done with staying put.

They’re either unvaccinated and unafraid or vaccinated and feeling invincible.

What we’ve certainly noticed is that daters are more polarized than ever before.

We know that political affiliation is now one of the most divisive issues when it comes to dating.

However even more polarizing nowadays is one’s vaccination status, especially when vaccine status is so closely influenced by political affiliation.

As dating apps allow for vaccine status it’s become an initial qualifier/disqualifier and often one of the first things discussed in a dating app conversation.

Dating in 2021 vs. 2020

So… was dating in 2021 that much better than dating in 2020?

100%.

When it comes to dating in 2021 vs 2020, it’s obvious that things improved as more singles became vaccinated.

Concerts are back, you can attend sporting events, and hitting on strangers at parties isn’t nearly as taboo as it was a year ago.

I don’t know how optimistic you are about the future, but things are getting better.

People are dating again.

Now it’s time for you to join in the fun.

But it’s understandable if you feel a bit rusty.

If you need to up your date game, give me a call.

Together we’ll revamp your dating profile, teach you how to ask a woman out, have you go out on a mock date, and completely rewire your brain so that you’re comfortable dating again.

Book a 1-on-1 call now so we can learn more about your romantic goals and find out if the emlovz coaching program is a good fit for you.