Dating App Bias Is Putting More Black Singles in a Competitive Position

As more singles search for love online, research shows that black and Asian singles face greater disadvantages in comparison with their peers.

2024 study revealed that black Tinder users received fewer likes in comparison with their white counterparts. The data also shown that Asian men, like Black men and women, are ranked lower than all other groups on apps like OkCupid.

The results show how dating apps allow people to quickly filter out those that are different from themselves. This ties into age-old matchmaking norms, in which singles met through friends or family.

“The way couples meet is becoming an incredibly important battleground for reinforcing distinctions across racial, ethnic and social class lines,” said Reuben Thomas, a sociologist on the University of New Mexico. he said Faith Hill of . “While apps can be isolating, they are “a huge threat to those boundaries.”

Those brave enough to stay anonymous use filters to avoid people of certain races, while unconscious biases often influence who they decide to swipe right on. Jennifer Lundquist, a sociologist on the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, says that sifting through the myriad options on a dating app can lead people to make snap judgments—often based on stereotypes—that they may not make in the event that they met someone face-to-face.

Research as well will be seen that the app’s algorithms, which remain partially undisclosed, are likely to pair users based on common characteristics. But dating apps offer a greater probability of connecting with others who’re different from themselves.

“Very few people have truly diverse networks that actually match the diversity you see on dating apps,” said Reuben Thomas, a sociologist on the University of New Mexico.

Luke Brunning, a lecturer on the University of Leeds, suggests removing barriers that encourage people from different backgrounds to interact and connect.

“Having people using the same public transportation and the same parks, swimming pools, public facilities won’t integrate society overnight,” Brunning said. “But it will have some incremental positive impact that it certainly wouldn’t have had if things had gone differently.”

AND model by researchers Josue Ortega and Philipp Hergovich predicted that simply increasing exposure to people of various races would result in a rise in interracial marriage. That echoes quite a few studies in which participants express appreciation for the “opening up of social possibilities” that dating apps offer, said Gina Potarca, a lecturer on the University of Liverpool.