Latest news with #DrStuartTurnbullDugarte
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Swipe right: dating app users prefer Reform voters to Tories, research suggests
Dating app users are more likely to be interested in a Reform voter than a Conservative, new research suggests. Voters were unlikely to swipe right, or like, a profile of someone from the other side of the political spectrum – meaning that centre-right voters are more likely to pick a Reform supporter than someone who supports a leftwing party, analysis from the University of Southampton and Harvard University found. Overall, Labour, Green and Lib Dem voters had a better chance of landing a match than Reform and Conservative voters, because people who use dating apps tend to be younger and therefore more socially liberal. Related: 'Forgive me, Reader: I ghost him.' The best dating apps, tested Dr Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte, lead author of the study, from the University of Southampton, said the results reflected the political polarisation of society. He said: 'Voters from the two main parties are very unlikely to want to date someone from the other party. Conservative voters were much happier to match with a Reform UK voter than someone who voted Labour. 'This isn't about falling in love with the radical right, it's about Conservative voters being more comfortable dating someone they disagree with on some things than dating someone from the opposite ideological camp altogether.' The study, published in the Journal of Politics, asked 2,000 people in Britain and Spain aged between 18 and 40 – the demographic that makes up 85% of Tinder users – to look at 20,000 fictitious dating profiles on an online app. The profiles were AI-generated variations of attractive men and women's faces and their bios contained information including their occupation, hobbies, interests and schooling, and some included an indication of who they voted for. Related: 'It feels like admin': why are people falling out of love with dating apps? Dr Alberto López Ortega, a co-author of the paper, from Harvard University, said: 'While Reform voters had a below average favourability on dating apps, they are four points more likely to enjoy success on the dating market than Conservative supporters. 'This suggests that dating a Reform UK voter is not 'beyond the pale' and support for the radical right has become more normalised. That said, we found expressing support for either party is likely to be a 'red flag' for more leftwing dating app users.' Although a prominent fixture of the UK's dating scene for the past decade, apps are losing popularity as younger people turn to real-life ways of connecting with potential partners, according to recent Ofcom research. The UK's top four dating apps have had a dip in use since 2023, with Tinder losing 600,000 users, Hinge shedding 131,000, Bumble declining by 368,000 and Grindr falling by 11,000.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Swipe right: dating app users prefer Reform voters to Tories, research suggests
Dating app users are more likely to be interested in a Reform voter than a Conservative, new research suggests. Voters were unlikely to swipe right, or like, a profile of someone from the other side of the political spectrum – meaning that centre-right voters are more likely to pick a Reform supporter than someone who supports a leftwing party, analysis from the University of Southampton and Harvard University found. Overall, Labour, Green and Lib Dem voters had a better chance of landing a match than Reform and Conservative voters, because people who use dating apps tend to be younger and therefore more socially liberal. Dr Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte, lead author of the study, from the University of Southampton, said the results reflected the political polarisation of society. He said: 'Voters from the two main parties are very unlikely to want to date someone from the other party. Conservative voters were much happier to match with a Reform UK voter than someone who voted Labour. 'This isn't about falling in love with the radical right, it's about Conservative voters being more comfortable dating someone they disagree with on some things than dating someone from the opposite ideological camp altogether.' The study, published in the Journal of Politics, asked 2,000 people in Britain and Spain aged between 18 and 40 – the demographic that makes up 85% of Tinder users – to look at 20,000 fictitious dating profiles on an online app. The profiles were AI-generated variations of attractive men and women's faces and their bios contained information including their occupation, hobbies, interests and schooling, and some included an indication of who they voted for. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Dr Alberto López Ortega, a co-author of the paper, from Harvard University, said: 'While Reform voters had a below average favourability on dating apps, they are four points more likely to enjoy success on the dating market than Conservative supporters. 'This suggests that dating a Reform UK voter is not 'beyond the pale' and support for the radical right has become more normalised. That said, we found expressing support for either party is likely to be a 'red flag' for more leftwing dating app users.' Although a prominent fixture of the UK's dating scene for the past decade, apps are losing popularity as younger people turn to real-life ways of connecting with potential partners, according to recent Ofcom research. The UK's top four dating apps have had a dip in use since 2023, with Tinder losing 600,000 users, Hinge shedding 131,000, Bumble declining by 368,000 and Grindr falling by 11,000.
Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Why Reform voters are more likely to get a date than a Tory
Reform UK voters enjoy more success on dating apps than Conservative voters, according to a study. The analysis carried out by the University of Southampton and Harvard University found that voters were unlikely to swipe right ('like') a profile of someone from the other side of the political spectrum. But the researchers did find that those on the centre-Right were more likely to choose someone to the Right of them, rather than the centre-Left. Overall, the study showed that Labour, Green and Lib Dem voters had a better chance of getting a match than Reform and Conservative voters, which the researchers suggested was because people who use dating apps tend to be younger and therefore more socially liberal. Dr Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte, lead author of the study, from the University of Southampton, said the results were another example of the political polarisation of society. Polarised society He said: 'Voters from the two main parties are very unlikely to want to date someone from the other party. Conservative voters were much happier to match with a Reform UK voter than someone who voted Labour. 'This isn't about falling in love with the radical Right, it's about Conservative voters being more comfortable dating someone they disagree with on some things than dating someone from the opposite ideological camp altogether. 'That's a striking illustration of just how polarised our societies have become.' The study, published in the Journal of Politics, asked 2,000 people in Britain and Spain aged between 18 and 40 – the demographic which makes up 85 per cent of Tinder users – to look at 20,000 fictitious dating profiles on an online app. The profiles were AI-generated variations of attractive men and women's faces and their bios contained information including their occupation, hobbies, interests, and schooling. Some included an indication of who they voted for. Dr Alberto Lopez Ortega, a co-author on the paper from Harvard University, said: 'While Reform voters had a below average favourability on dating apps, they are four points more likely to enjoy success on the dating market than Conservative supporters. 'This suggests that dating a Reform UK voter is not 'beyond the pale' and support for the radical Right has become more normalised. 'That said, we found expressing support for either party is likely to be a 'red flag' for more Left-wing dating app users.'
