The virus be damned: Older adults seek romantic relationships during a pandemic

Lauren E. Harris

COVID-19 was concerning for older adults because they faced greater health risks from the virus and generally experience higher rates of isolation and loneliness. Single older adults are of particular concern because they also lack a cohabiting partner for social connection, so they may face greater levels of loneliness. Many older adults have been using technology to develop and maintain social connections, including romantic connections, to mitigate these feelings of loneliness and isolation. This research explores how feelings of loneliness connect to use of online dating sites during a pandemic, how older adults decided to and rationalized dating at a time when meeting in-person and social interactions were discouraged and dangerous, and how experiences differed between men and women. I interviewed 50 men and 50 women, ages 60-83, about their experiences seeking partners and dating during the pandemic. All respondents were single, heterosexual, and recruited from online dating websites, but varied by race, education level, marital experience, employment status, and geographic location. Single older adults relied on feelings of loneliness and isolation, the ubiquity of online dating sites, and particularly for women, adherence to safety measures while on a date as motivation for seeking and meeting romantic partners during a pandemic. Single older adults seeking new romantic interactions during a pandemic, when health risks were greater, illustrates the importance of intimate relationships even into older age and how loneliness and isolation are powerful drivers in seeking romantic relationships.