Bumble, the women-first dating app, has today released its latest predictions to help singles take their connection from DM to IRL. Research from more than 40,000 Gen Z and millennial Bumble members around the world* has revealed that dating is evolving with people feeling positive about the realities of finding the right relationship. Bumble’s hot take? While dating discourse has varied in the last year, one thing remains true: dating never left and isn’t going anywhere, but our approaches to relationships are changing in a notable way.
Bumble’s 2024 trends saw singles rejecting the constant strive for perfection, discarding outdated timelines, and placing more value on emotional vulnerability and shared values. 2025 is expected to be a transitional year, with women very clear about what they want and need, and what they are no longer willing to tolerate when it comes to dating and relationships.
Following a year of dating reassessment, learnings, and frustrations, our conversations about dating have gotten real. But single people haven’t given up on finding a relationship, they are more determined, with nearly 3 in 4 (72%) globally – and in the UK – looking to find a long-term partner in the next year. However, the level of tolerance has shifted, with 2 in 3 British women (66%) saying they are being more honest with themselves and no longer making compromises.
Over the last year, the majority (87%) of people on Bumble experienced the many positives of dating in 2024: the excitement of meeting somebody new, building their confidence, and exploring new attributes in what they want. As we move into 2025, Bumble research shows singles are clear about their own desire for romance, total transparency, shared community values, and leaning into platonic male friendship at pivotal moments, to help navigate the next year in dating.
Bumble’s dating hot-takes for 2025 include:
- 💘Micro-mance: From embracing the cringe and PDA to rom-coms and a new adoration for meet-cutes, romance is making a comeback in 2025: over half (58%) of British women are self-proclaimed romantics who LOVE love and for over two fifths (44%), a lack of romance has had a negative impact on their dating lives. The desire for romance is clear, but instead of grand gestures, people are embracing romance in a new way – through micro-mance – a term to describe expressing your feelings through smaller gestures, with big impact. In fact, the majority (86%) of singles agree that how we show love and affection now includes behaviours like sending memes, a playlist, or sharing inside jokes or morning coffee walks. On Bumble, ‘The quickest way to my heart is‘ is one of the top prompts globally, highlighting micro-mance is already alive and well on the app.
- 📸DWM (Date With Me): From dating GRWM’s, live-streamed break-ups, post-date debriefs, hard launches, relationship “tests,” and Dating Wrapped, dating has become our new favourite reality show. Bumble predicts this growing social media bubble of embracing a new real-ness will be even more relevant in 2025: 2 in 5 (41%) singles are celebrating more authentic dating and relationship content showing not only the highs but also the lows, serving as a ‘window’ to the broader dating experience. This shift towards more transparent, shared dating experiences is having a positive impact with almost half (46%) of British women feeling less self-conscious and lonely as a result. Seeing others openly discuss these experiences is inspiring healthier relationship goals, helping people spot potential red flags, and have big conversations earlier. In fact, nearly 2 in 5 singles (39%) in the UK state that realistic, positive dating content leads to optimism about their own love lives.
- 🎮On The Same (Fan) Page: A shared love of sports ruled 2024, but beyond sports, the rise of micro-communities (book clubs and run clubs), fandom (hello Taylor and Charli), and niche interests (the rise of padel, cold plunging and fantasy fiction) are taking over our social feeds. It’s also changing who and how we date, with nearly 2 in 3 (60%) of UK singles stating that unique and quirky interests are now key to attraction. Yes, participating in activities and social communities can actually make you more attractive, and for 1 in 2 women globally (50%) showing up authentically while dating means leaning into their passions and interests. Not only does this help identify partners, start conversations, and build compatibility but nearly three in five (59%) British Gen Z singles agree that geeking out on something together is a form of intimacy. Bumble recently launched more than 30 new Interest Badges such as trivia, thrifting, cold plunging, crocheting, and house plants to celebrate the many unique interests of its global community. You can now also filter by your chosen interests on the app as well.
- 🚹Male-Casting: From babygirl, to hot rodent men, to men in finance and the return of the hunk, male archetypes have exploded in pop culture with a wider conversation on how we identify ideal (or less ideal) characteristics. More than 1 in 3 (36%) singles in the UK agree that this year, more than ever, there have been more conversations on male stereotypes. But are these helpful or a hindrance in dating? Much like the experience of women, over 1 in 4 (29%) men in the UK say these tropes can create false assumptions about their character and intentions. As we head into 2025, over half of women (53%) agree that the conversation on masculinity needs to evolve to allow men to define what positive masculinity looks like individually.
- 🔮Future-Proofing: In today’s world, uncertainty about the future, whether it’s finances, job security, housing, or climate change is playing into our love lives. The overwhelming majority of singles (95%) say their worries about the future are impacting who and how they date. For a majority (59%) of women this means placing more value on stability – looking for a partner who is emotionally consistent, reliable, and has clear goals when it comes to their life. Looking ahead, singles can expect these conversations to be more top of mind from the get-go, with 1 in 4 (27%) women in the UK are pushing these topics to be discussed earlier than before, leading to candid conversations about budgeting, housing, climate change, and job ambitions.
- 👫Guys That Get It: From the group chats to pre and post-date hype, when it comes to dating, there is a new friend filter ascending, the rise of the guy best friend. Nearly a third (31%) of single women say they are more open with their male friends than they used to be about their dating lives, indicating a shift towards men engaging with their friends in a healthy way and becoming a more significant part of their support network. Amongst women, 1 in 5 (22%) now ask men friends to filter potential dates, and the majority of women (54%) rely on the men in their lives to help give an explanation for men’s dating behaviour. Spoiler alert: sometimes there isn’t one.
Selby Drummond, Bumble’s Chief Marketing Officer said: “Every year we ask our global community for their views on dating, the new behaviours they are seeing, and what they want and need in the year to come. 2025 is going to be a transitional year for dating and we can see this in how single people, especially women, are getting very clear about what they want and need, and what they are no longer willing to tolerate when it comes to dating and relationships.
“What we’re seeing is a big shift towards real-ness, people are being increasingly more transparent, future-proofing themselves, and taking the time to find somebody to support their unique interests, before committing to a relationship. Regardless of whether they are looking for something casual, something serious, or something in between, these trends reflect what we’ve heard from our community, which is that they are looking for engaging conversations that lead to authentic real life connections.”
