2024 Survey: How Christian Couples Meet Statistics

How Christians Meet

39% of straight couples meet online, while only 10% meet exclusively over dating apps. 

And when we break it down, we see only 4 percent of the general population meets at church.  

Although 4% of the general US population meet their partners at church, I don't think that Christians meet at church at a much higher rate.

While attending a local church can be a great opportunity for Christians to meet other Christians in their age group who share the same community, not all Christians regularly attend church. Furthermore, those who do tend to be older, resulting in a higher age gap, and most are already married. Therefore, it is unlikely that the church is a popular meeting location for Christian couples. [1, 2]

Christians Dating Apps

Christians tend to use dating apps tailored for Christians: Christian Mingle (from 2001), eHarmony, Upward, Christian Café, Christian Cupid, Christian Connection, Christian Dating for Free, Crosspaths, and Catholic Match.

These apps have specific features that are tailored to the Christian community, such as:

1. Faith-based matching
2. Bible-based profile sections
3. Church and event listings as a first-date
4. Requiring users to affirm their faith and commitment to Christian beliefs during signup. 
5. Encouraging respectful and godly communication 

See first date tips here: My Favorite 27 First Date Tips (As a Dating Coach) | Dating Armory 

Christian Dating Survey 

For our 2024 Christian Dating Survey, we approached 500 Christian individuals aged 18-30 in the following three cities: Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Charlotte, North Carolina [3]. They were asked to complete a brief, paper-based survey (PDF) with 15 questions to understand their perspectives on dating within the Christian faith.

Here’s what we found.

1. Do you believe in saving intimacy for marriage?

• Yes - 60%
• No - 25%
• Unsure - 15%

2. Do you prefer to date someone from the same Christian denomination?

• No preference - 61%
• Yes - 39%
• No - 0%

3. Is sharing similar Christian values crucial for you in a relationship?

• Yes - 75%
• Somewhat - 18%
• No - 4%

4. Would you participate in church activities together as a couple?

• Maybe - 55%
• Yes - 39%
• No - 6%

5. Do you pray about your dating life?

• Always - 81%
• Sometimes - 16%
• Never - 3%

6. Is it important for your partner to have strong faith?

• Very important - 55%
• Somewhat important - 40%
• Not important - 5%

7. Have you ever used dating apps?

• Yes - 89%
• No - 11%

8. How many different dating apps have you used?

• Over 3 apps - 58%
• 2 apps - 27%
• 1 app%

9. Which dating app do you use the most?

• eHarmony - 27%
• Hinge - 21%
• Christian Mingle - 17%
• Coffee Meets Bagel - 13%
• Bumble - 12%
• Other - 10%

10. How many people have you messaged through dating apps?

• 5 or more - 52%
• 2 to 4 - 30%
• 1 - 13%
• 0 - 5%

11. How many dates have you had from dating apps?

• 0 - 18%
• 1 - 12%
• 2 to 4 - 23%
• 5 or more - 47%

12. Have you Experienced Dating App Facilitated Sexual Assault (DAFS) on Christian dating apps?

• Yes - 5%
• No - 95 %

13. What is your monthly dating app subscription cost?

• $0 - 14%
• $1-$25 - 72%
• Over $25 - 14%

14. How much time do you spend on dating apps Daily?

• Less than 10 minutes - 12%
• From 10 minutes to an hour - 58%
• More than an hour - 30%

15. Are you planning to continue using dating apps?

• Yes - 72%
• No - 28%

Sources

[1] Rosenfeld, Michael J., Reuben J. Thomas, and Sonia Hausen. 2023. How Couples Meet and Stay Together 2017-2020-2022 combined dataset. [Computer files]. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Libraries. https://data.stanford.edu/hcmst2017

[2] https://www.city-data.com/forum/relationships/2607564-nobody-mentions-church-great-place-meet.html 

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_religiosity