A Shot of Love: Online Daters Increasingly Seeking Out Vaccinated Partners

Single and looking to mingle? Getting the shot may increase your chances of making a match.

As pre-COVID life is starting to resume, and more and more people are getting vaccinated to protect themselves from the virus, online daters are taking vaccination status into consideration when looking for love. In fact, according to OKCupid, last October and November, profile mentions of vaccination increased by 30 percent and had increased 64 percent by December. Similarly, around this same time, Tinder reported that mentions of vaccination had increased by 238 percent in user profiles on the platform.

What Online Daters Are Saying About Vaccination

In order to make it easier for people to find prospective partners that have been vaccinated, 3Fun, an app that caters to swingers, has allowed its users to easily add their vaccination status to their profiles. The company told me that most users report they love this new feature, so to find out more about their thoughts, 3Fun conducted a survey for me of about 500 people on the app. The following are some of the responses to my questions.

“I have met people outside for walks and drinks — there are lots of ways to stay connected and get super excited about play with someone attractive.”

Have you put your vaccination status in your profile, or have you been looking for someone who has?

User #1: I have put the vaccination status on my profile to tell everyone I meet that I have taken the time to be safe during these crazy times.

User #2: I am not yet fully vaccinated, although when I am, I’ll put my status in my profile. I appreciate the feature in the app, as I am super COVID conscious and have gotten used to asking questions about people’s status. This saves a crucial step. I have wondered, however, about how anti-vaxxers may react to the feature, but I strongly appreciate that 3Fun cares about public health and this would be a reason for me to continue my membership.

“If you can’t get a vaccine, how can I trust that your STD status is up-to-date?”

User #3: I have put my vaccination status in my profile. The way I see it, it has a two-fold purpose. I understand vaccines can be hard to come by, so I understand if not all have gotten it, but in all honesty, having a vaccine helps weed out people I wouldn’t be interested in. Most anti-vaccination people tend to not be people I get along with. Besides that, I feel like getting a vaccine is very easy and very non-intrusive. If you can’t get a vaccine, how can I trust that your STD status is up-to-date?

Do you feel like COVID has changed the way you look for partners on 3FUN?

User #1: Having the tag gives me a little insight into the person or couple I’m talking to. It does give me piece of mind knowing that they have taken the time to get the vaccination. It also shows that they might take it seriously in other realms.

“Basically, I’ve taken calculated risks. My sense is that’s how many people are dating right now….”

User #2: COVID hasn’t entirely changed how I look for partners, but it has changed when and how I meet them. If someone’s super sweet and adorable, but looser with COVID, we’ve agreed to connect sometime this summer when things look better. I’ve met and played with a handful of single guys who live alone, are super COVID conscious, and willing to test before coming to see me — or they’re fully vaccinated and still COVID conscious. Basically, I’ve taken calculated risks. My sense is that’s how many people are dating right now, but I do know there are plenty of younger people who aren’t as careful with COVID, or who live with roommates…the anticipation of meeting them when things look better, fingers crossed, can be hot too!

User #3: COVID has certainly changed the way I look for partners. It used to be a bit of trust and some observation to make sure your potential partners were STD free. Plus, obviously, getting tested very regularly myself, now there is another big thing you have to ask — are you vaccinated or COVID free? I mean an STD is an inconvenience, and some can kill you, but COVID is serious business. You need to be aware of your status and I’m not sure a lot of people are being tested regularly.

Would you pass on an otherwise attractive potential partner because of their vaccination status?

User #1: Because I am vaccinated for my job, I’m okay meeting someone who is not vaccinated because according to the CDC, I won’t have to quarantine if I get exposed. That is a huge piece of mind being in my profession and having my extracurricular activities as well.

“I will not compromise my overall health and safety for a few minutes of fun.”

User #2: I would definitely not pass on someone who’s not yet vaccinated, but I’d wait until things look better or they’re vaccinated before playing. I have met people outside for walks and drinks — there are lots of ways to stay connected and get super excited about play with someone attractive.

User #3: I would, have before, and will continue to absolutely pass on a non-vaccinated, albeit attractive, couple. I will not compromise my overall health and safety for a few minutes of fun. I can only hope that trusting people when they put that they’ve been verified is enough. I would not be opposed to 3Fun doing a verification of the vaccine card like they do for photos.

More from Kiki Wellington:

Sources:

3Fun. (2021). Personal interview.

Cole, S. (2021, January 14). Users Are Changing Their Online Dating Profiles to Say They Got Vaccinated. VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/epdm5j/online-dating-app-profiles-vaccinated

Gentile, D. (2021, January 19). Vaccine selfies have hit the dating apps in SF. SFGATE. https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/Vaccine-selfies-dating-apps-tinder-bumble-okcupid-15882758.php