OkCupid adds 'I'm Vaccinated' Badge and Stack to profiles

The dating app continues its commitment to encourage users to match on shared interests including health and safety.

As the second wave of Covid-19 ebbs and life for people in India unlocks, bringing forth the changing realities of a new normal, there is a marked increase in conversations around getting vaccinated. This has also been observed on OkCupid profile bios in India which have seen a huge 763% increase in conversations between March and June 2021 around Covid-19 vaccines and its relevance to daters while selecting a match for themselves. Keeping the users’ priority in mind, and helping them match over what matters most to them, the dating app has just released an “I’m Vaccinated” profile badge and special stack to help users make informed choices about their dating lives.

With the new vaccination policy for those in the 18 to 44 years age bracket being announced in the country, OkCupid witnessed a staggering increase in conversations around vaccines on users’ profile bios between March and June 2021. Clearly, it is the most important thing on people’s minds right now as they try to adjust to a new normal. To make it easier for users to declare their status and expectation from a partner, OkCupid today launched the 'I'm Vaccinated' badge which lets individuals announce their vaccination status on their profile and also join the vaccinated stack which helps them match with like-minded love interests who have taken the jab. Activated by declaring one’s vaccination status on the app, the 'I'm vaccinated' badge appears in-profile and is expected to result in a 35% increase in match rate with others who are either vaccinated or getting vaccinated soon. For the ones who have not had a chance to get vaccinated yet but are open to it, OkCupid will help with medically verified information on http://okcupid.knowthevaccine.com/, to encourage them to get the jab.

Talking about the announcement Anukool Kumar, marketing director at OkCupid says, “OkCupid has always been a platform which empowers users to find their kind of a partner based on shared interests, quirks and beliefs, as love is best experienced with a partner on the same wavelength. With over 3000 questions at the heart of the product, and more added in a timely manner, we ensure all relevant subjects that matter most to millennial Indians are addressed by the app. With vaccination being the most important point of conversation today, we felt a responsibility to help daters who have gotten vaccinated or want to get the vaccine match with others who believe the same as it is a matter of health and safety. Hence to make it easier for our users to find a potential match who believes in the benefit of getting vaccinated, we introduced the ‘I’m vaccinated’ badge and stack as an endeavour to help people make informed decisions, especially in their search for love.”

Among OkCupid’s Indian daters, people who answered ‘yes’ to the question “will you get the Covid-19 vaccine” received 25% more likes and resulted in far higher number of conversations than those who answered no. Daters are clearly prioritising health and safety in their quest to find love and will not leave anything to chance when it comes to the dreaded virus. Women are more cautious, as expected, with over 41% of the female users stating that anti-vaxxers are not even a consideration for them as a potential partner.

To understand further on how much the vaccine impacts the dating lives of millennials, OkCupid gathered data and insights shared below:

1. When asked ‘Will you take the Covid-19 vaccine?’

As of June 2021, 69% men and 71% women answered that yes they would take the vaccine giving hope that we would put this pandemic behind us soon. Compared to only 15% men and 13% women who admitted to being averse to the idea of getting themselves vaccinated against Covid-19.

2. When asked 'Would you cancel a date with someone who didn't want to take the Covid-19 vaccine?'

45% women would cancel their date in case their potential partner is opposed to the idea of taking a vaccine shot, clearly not leaving anything to chance. After all, health over everything else! However, it was interesting to find that 69% of the men, a large majority, were very much willing to go on a date with someone who won't take the vaccine as well.