Changes in the Prevalence of Dating App Use Among Men who have Sex with Men in the United States (2015-2023) Open Access
Agostini, Jose (Spring 2024)
Abstract
Online dating and mobile dating apps have become common among all populations. However, differences in dating app use by age groups over time among men who have sex with men (MSM) and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been fully explored. This study analyzed data from annual cycles of the American Men’s Internet Survey (AMIS) between 2015 and 2023 which collects behavioral and sexual health data from U.S. MSM. The outcome of interest was the annual proportion of participants who reported using a dating app in the past 12 months for socializing or meeting others. We calculated estimated annual percent change (EAPC) with 95% confidence interval for the period between 2015-2023 and prevalence ratios comparing the 2020 and 2022/23 AMIS cycles. A secondary sensitivity analysis was conducted among participants based on recruitment sources to exclude those recruited from dating apps. All results were stratified by age and race/ethnicity. Dating app use increased from 50.9% in 2015 to 78.5% in 2022/23, with an EAPC in dating app use of 7.3% (3.6, 12.4). There was a slight decrease in dating app use between 2019 (72.7%) and 2020 (68.7%) possibly attributable to COVID-19. Similar trends were seen across age and race/ethnicity groups, but those age 40+ had more rapid increase (EAPC) and closed the gap with younger age groups by 2022/23. A less substantial trend (EAPC=6.8%) was seen within the sensitivity analysis, however, a majority (63%) of participants in this sample still reported dating app use within the past 12 months in 2022/23. A majority of MSM, across age groups now use dating apps to meet partners or socialize with each other, and if these trends continue to rise, dating apps may represent an even greater opportunity for public health initiatives like educational messaging or resource distribution.
Table of Contents
Introduction (p. 1)
Methods (p. 3)
Results (p. 6)
Discussion (p. 10)
Conclusion (p. 14)
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