Key Takeaways

It’s easy to assume that all seniors are either married, divorced, widowed, or no longer interested in sex, with all four assumptions leading to the same flawed conclusion: “Older people don’t want to date.” 

But two recent DateMyAge surveys prove that seniors are not, in fact, over the hill — and are actively searching for a dating platform that treats them like the vibrant generation of daters they are. 

One of the surveys found that baby boomers are more socially and sexually content than society would have you believe. In another recently published DateMyAge survey, 71% of respondents said that society underestimates them because of their age. 

Boomers Report More Satisfying Sex Lives Than Ever

Of the 1,000 adults aged 50 and older in one of the surveys, 91% say experience and maturity are attractive qualities in a partner. 

DateMyAge also found that 70% of respondents believe shared values are more important than age in a relationship. 

Some boomers enjoy heightened sexual satisfaction, too, according to the survey; 72% reported being the object of a younger person’s affections, and 52% said their sex life is more fulfilling now than it was when they were younger. Other seniors crave more adventure in their dating lives than they once did. 

Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Emerita Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington, told DatingNews that seniors’ newfound confidence in their sex lives isn’t actually new at all. “Many people find sex more gratifying as they age into midlife and beyond,” she told us. 

Ideally, with age comes wisdom — and the ability to make peace with long-held sexual hangups, such as one’s body or confidence in bed. “They accept their body’s imperfections more and they also know more about what they need,” Dr. Schwartz explained. 

Dating Platforms Can Evolve Alongside Users 

Boomers are a rich (in more ways than one) demographic of daters who crave authentic connections in their old(er) age. And yet, dating platforms seem to overlook senior daters as a viable source of engagement. 

Yes, DateMyAge, OurTime, and SilverSingles are popular dating platforms within the senior dating niche, but according to a DateMyAge survey, older daters still crave dedicated and authentic acknowledgement from online dating platforms. 

According to Dr. Schwartz, this need may stem from the generations that came before them. 

“I think that ages 40, 50, 60 [and beyond] are seen as younger and more vital than they might have been seen in a previous generation,” she said. 

Perhaps dating platforms simply haven’t evolved with the times. In a press release, Jaime Bronstein, a LCSW and therapist at DateMyAge, said as such: 

“People in their 50s are telling us they’re thriving, vibrant, full of confidence and empowerment, and living some of their best years, and it’s about time society caught up and started treating them that way.”

This is a generation that can benefit from a straightforward and user-friendly dating platform that doesn’t treat them like antiques. There’s room in the senior dating niche for dating platforms that are accessible to older generations and take their needs into consideration.

Dating Platforms Can Normalize Love and Unlock Revenue

Even daters in older age groups grapple with society’s expectations versus their own feelings: 33% of daters aged 50 and older told DateMyAge they feel embarrassed about craving intimacy and romance. 

And 32% of respondents hesitate to start new relationships because they’re afraid of being judged. 

Dating platforms are uniquely positioned to destigmatize senior intimacy and relationships. What they need are developers who listen to the needs and desires of the community, something DateMyAge swears by in its recent LoveMyAge campaign. 

“By listening to our community and uncovering where they feel excluded, we have created a space that celebrates their ambitions, supports new connections, and reminds them that it’s never too late to build the life they want,” Bronstein said. 

DateMyAge’s surveys confirm what Dr. Schwartz told us about the future of senior dating: Today’s older daters are more open to new romantic experiences than ever.

“More people, men and women, feel [more] entitled to give and receive pleasure than their parents, and certainly their grandparents, felt was possible and desirable,” she told us. 

Case in point: Although DateMyAge found that 49% of surveyed seniors have been told they’re “too old” for new experiences, 45% haven’t allowed these detractors to dim their light, with the latter feeling more confident and attractive in their older age than they did when they were younger.