Future couples now meet more often on line and not as often at festive events
Online romantic encounters have developed considerably in France and Europe in the last 30 years. Conversely, meeting one’s future partner in a festive context has declined. And being introduced by friends has been decreasing in France since the 2000s.
Online encounters rising steeply
The ways in which people meet their future partner in France and Europe have clearly changed over the last 50 years. Predictably, the strongest driver of these changes has been the possibility of meeting on line, either on dating sites and applications or, for a minority of encounters, through digital channels such a social media, forums, video games, etc. In France, the rise of online dating began in the 1990s and the practice has developed regularly since then, accounting now for 24% of first couples who began cohabiting between 2020 and 2024 (Figure). A similar development is found across the EU. People meet a future partner on line slightly more frequently in Northern Europe than in France (27% of couples in the Netherland and 29% in Denmark); Central Europe is at about the same level. In contrast, couples in Croatia meet much less often on line (14%).
Increased likelihood of meeting future partner during higher education
Meeting during higher education has also developed considerably, doubling in France from 10% to 20% between the 1960s and today (Figure). This change is undoubtedly due to the fact that over the generations education has been prolonged. But contrary to what might be assumed, this development is not found throughout the EU. Future partners do meet this way in the Netherlands, Austria, and Croatia (though not as often as in France), but not in Denmark or the Czech Republic, where the frequency of meeting one’s future partner in higher education has not risen but remained stable (results not shown).
Decline in meeting at festive events
One major change in the setting where future partners meet is that it now happens much less often at festive events. In France, the declining role of festive balls or dances began after World War II, then metamorphosed into a decline in encounters at nightclubs, private parties or soirées: in the 1960s and 70s, meeting at such events accounted for 29% of couples in France, whereas today the figure stands at 9% (Figure). This trend is found throughout Europe, but it got underway earliest in France. Conversely, in Croatia the proportion of future partners meeting at festive events began to decrease later in time, and such settings still account for 25% of future partner encounters.
The recent decline in meeting one’s future partner through friends
This way of meeting progressed in France, rising between the 1960s and the 2000s from 16% to 26% (Figure). But future partners have been meeting less frequently this way since then, and friend-induced meeting now accounts for only 19% of couples. The decline began prior to 2020, and is therefore not explained by France’s COVID-19 lockdowns. In other EU countries a fall in meeting through friends can be observed in recent years but the timing varies. Friends play a smaller role in Northern Europe, accounting for only 11% of future partner meetings in the Netherlands and 15% in Denmark—precisely the same countries where future couple partners now meet more often on line.
Referens
Authors: Milan BOUCHET-VALAT, Marie BERGSTRÖM
To learn more:
Bozon M., Rault W. 2012. From Sexual Debut to First Union. Where Do Young People in France Meet Their First Partners?. Population, 67(3), 453-490.
Bouchet-Valat M., Bozon M. 2025. La géographie intime : Lieux de rencontres et caractéristiques des partenaires. In Bergström M. (dir.), La sexualité qui vient. Jeunesse et relations intimes après #Metoo (p. 139-150). La Découverte.