Is 2024 your year for love? Here are 5 dating trends to watch for

In 2024, it's time to get in your feels. 

If, in 2023, people have been focused on finding love abroad, looking ahead to 2024, Bumble predicts the new year to be the year of "self."

This personal prioritization sees singles rejecting the constant strive for perfection, discarding outdated timelines, and placing more value on emotional vulnerability, self-acceptance, and shared priorities.

In a research conducted by the women-led dating app in September with a sample of 26,849 Bumble members around the world, including the Philippines, the study shows that more than half (63%) of Filipino women surveyed are going into the new year with a clear view of what they want from their romantic lives. 

Here are some other dating trend predictions based on Bumble's research.

Timeline Decline

In 2024, one in three (31%) Filipino women said they are no longer focused on adhering to traditional timelines and milestones.

This is reflected in intentions, with nearly three in four (76%) of women looking for a long-term relationship and less than one-third (31%) seeking marriage.

And for a quarter of women (25%) in the Philippines, this means actively avoiding friends and family who put pressure on them, especially during holiday celebrations.

Gen(erational)-Blend Romance

Singles on Bumble are increasingly open to connections, both older and younger. In the Philippines, four in five men are now more open to dating older women.

In addition, 50% of Filipino men and 59% of Filipino women said they have become less judgmental towards age-gap relationships over the last year.

Val-Core Dating

Val-Core refers to the rise of people valuing engagement on issues that matter to them.

For almost half (48%) of the people on Bumble in the Philippines, it is key that their partner actively engages with politics and social causes.

Specifically, 84% of Filipinos say their potential partner engaging in human rights issues is essential to them, followed by sustainability (73%) and politics and voting (72%).

Intuitive Intimacy

For singles, and particularly women, attraction comes down to one key thing: emotional intimacy.

Filipino singles are focused on finding security, safety, and understanding, with 44% of those surveyed on Bumble believing that emotional intimacy is now more important than sex.

Regarding dating, an overwhelming majority (78%) of women in the Philippines say it's vital that their partner understands emotional and physical intimacy.

Consider-date

This year's prioritization of self-care and mental health has led to more than half (58%) of singles around the world being more open about their mental health and making a concerted effort to slow down.

In the Philippines, single people are reframing how they date to better protect their mental health, with almost half (49%) of those surveyed locally actively slow-dating and being considerate about how much they are dating to ensure quality over quantity, even more so amongst women (56%).

What do you think? Can you relate to these trends?

—MGP, GMA Integrated News