Percent online dating site

“Although I felt a bit of a loser, I joined an online dating agency.

SOURCE: Consumer Reports "It's clear that online dating websites play a major role in the lives of many consumers — we invest a tremendous amount of time, money and emotional energy.

It really is a consumer issue worthy of our attention." said Margot Gilman, money editor for Consumer Reports.

Throughout human history, people have sought assistance from others in meeting romantic partners – and Americans today are increasingly looking for love online by enlisting the services of online dating sites and a new generation of mobile dating apps.

A national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted June 10-July 12, 2015, among 2,001 adults, finds that: This growth has been especially pronounced for two groups who have historically not used online dating at particularly high levels – the youngest adults, as well as those in their late 50s and early 60s.

Overall, respondents preferred free sites like Ok Cupid, Tinder and Grindr over paid sites like Match and e Harmony, in part because of the value.

The now infamous infidelity dating site Ashley Madison, which was one of the most expensive, was also the lowest-scoring online dating service, with a score of 37.

The result is that, rather than being someone that defies all calculation, love is now big business worth an annual billion internationally and growing at 70 per cent a year – with high-tech venture capitalists, psychologists and software engineers reaping vast rewards.

Academics, meanwhile, are fascinated by the data being gathered — and largely kept secret — by the dating industry.

Anna Wilkinson has been married for seven years, has two young children, and – although exhausted – is delighted with her lot.

“I was 33, had just broken up with my boyfriend and was beginning to think I’d never have a family life.