Struggling with dating apps? Here’s what you should be doing, according to Hinge

Queer daters are embracing “slowmance”, with more people putting emphasis on emotional intimacy and building trust, Hinge’s new dating report has revealed.

Dating app Hinge released its second annual LGBTQIA+ D.A.T.E. (data, advice, trends and expertise) report on Thursday (6 June).

The research collated responses from more than 14,000 people who use the app, and the findings revealed LGBTQ+ people looking for love and connection these days are probably looking to take things a little slower than in the past.

Hinge describes slowmance as “dating more consciously” and “slowing the pace down to enjoy the ride rather than rushing things”.

Moe Ari Brown, Hinge’s love and connection expert, said: “Dating can be especially complex for queer daters for many reasons. Opting for a slowmance helps LGBTQIA+ daters cultivate emotional intimacy and build the strong foundation necessary to navigate those complexities.

“The 2024 LGBTQIA+ Hinge D.A.T.E. report sees, hears and supports queer daters worldwide with a resource that offers advice and tools to build the connection, vulnerability and trust they desire in relationships.”

The report found that the main topic queer daters needed more information about was emotional intimacy, with 50 per cent of LGBTQ+ people wanting to learn how to build trust better and 58 per cent seeking help on how to bring up their desires and needs in relationships. 

Hinge advises daters to use a slow-start approach where they begin talking to someone, with humour being “key to a soft start, providing an easy way to break the ice without sharing too much too soon”.

Of those polled, only 10 per cent prefer someone to start a conversation with them by asking about their dating intentions, instead wanting to get to know each other first.

Twenty per cent of LGBTQ+ daters prefer someone to start a conversation by skipping the small talk and asking a deep question.

Almost two-thirds (64 per cent) say humour on someone’s profile makes them more interesting.

In terms of taking dating offline and in the real world, the survey revealed that the top low-pressure place for a date is a coffee shop (31 per cent), followed by a bar (21 per cent) and restaurant (20 per cent).

Top first-date topics are personal growth (58 per cent), identity (51 per cent), family dynamics (32 per cent) and societal issues (32 per cent).

“Our work at Hinge is to support all daters in finding meaningful relationships. We’ve seen that some individuals, especially LGBTQIA+ daters, lack the dating and relationship resources they want,” Hinge’s chief marketing officer, Jackie Jantos, said of the report.

“We’re not only uncovering new insights but making the research and guidance available directly to queer daters.”