Why You Should Search Before You Date

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, just how curious are Americans when it comes to dating and safety? A January 2014 survey revealed that 71% of Americans would search for information about someone they are in a relationship with, or considering being in a relationship with in order to feel safer.

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Taking it beyond the free online search or friend referral, 35% of Americans revealed that they are even willing to pay a fee for information about their mate. Other interesting findings include:

• Women are the ones more willing to do the searching than men.
• Among those who would conduct a search, men are the ones more willing to spend a little extra on their research than women
  *See “Key Findings” below for details.

Online Dating Expert and Spokeo spokesperson, Julie Spira, confirms the importance of research while dating, especially during the extra-stressful holiday season.

“I am so glad to see these numbers and know that such a majority of Americans are willing to investigate their dates a little further. With so many people dating online, and everyone in a rush to find a Valentine, safety becomes a major concern, especially for women,” she notes. “Women want to know more about who they are going out with, and research, whether for safety or curiosity, is a crucial part of the process. With so many research tools and services like Spokeo available today, dating without doing a little extra digging just isn’t smart.”

The findings revealed that:

• 71% of Americans are willing to do their research to feel safer about someone they are in a relationship with, or considering a relationship with.
• The numbers are pretty similar for those willing to pay for research (35%) and those who only use the tools that are available for free (36%).
• When broken down by gender, women are generally more willing to conduct a search at all (77% of women vs. 66% of men), but are less willing to pay for a search (40% of women would conduct only free searches vs. only 32% of men).
• Who’s doing the spending? Of those who would conduct a search, 29% of males are willing to pay a higher price of $26+ vs. only 21% of the women who would pay the same higher amount.