2025 Dating Trend Predictions from Relationship Experts

Less Dating Across Party Lines

As a new presidential administration takes power in 2025, political views will be make-or-break for many singles, especially among straight people: In the 2024 presidential election, women ages 18 to 29 favored Vice President Kamala Harris by 38 points, while men in the same age group preferred President-elect Donald J. Trump by 13 points — a 51-point difference. From reproductive rights to men feeling disillusioned about their prospects for success, so much of this election revolved around gender. There’s no way that won’t impact dating. Already, some conservative men are hiding or downplaying their views in order to appeal to women. — Hannah Orenstein, an editor at Bustle and the author of “Meant to be Mine”

Parent-Funded Dating App Subscriptions

I predict parents paying for their child’s dating services. We’ve had moms DM us or fill out profiles for their children. Because of that, we’re actually allowing parents (or grandparents) to purchase setups as gifts. We think this comes out of the exhausted landscape of dating and parents recognizing how different it was when they were partnering. And with the average age of marriage creeping higher, families are ready to get in the ring and help their families expand. — Nandini Mullaji, a matchmaker and co-founder of Sitch, a dating concierge app

Prioritization of Platonic Romances

My prediction for 2025 is platonic romance! Women have shifted beyond self-care and operate in a mode of self-preservation. For some, dating is exhausting, perplexing and unfulfilling. Instead of navigating the hellscape of red-pill podcasts and “your body, my choice” bros, women are “dating” their friends. For some women, depending on their geographic locations, dating and sex can become a life sentence because of varying abortion laws. When we include racial outcomes, pregnancy can become a death sentence. Women are choosing what is safe; statistically, that doesn’t always include men. Whether it’s hot yoga or group Pilates, a pasta-making or floral arrangement class, girls’ trips, movie dates or potluck parties, women are opting out of dating boys and going out with the girls! — Lauren Napier, a beauty and lifestyle expert and the founder of The Sp1nster, a lifestye brand

A.I. Will Help Solve Dating Woes

Many men will continue to struggle to find their feet in dating as they come across a lot of women who are financially better off — higher earners with bigger job titles. Women will increasingly find themselves “intimidating” men who are disconnected from their value in the marketplace. And A.I. will become your ultimate wingman — more people will be using A.I. to write their profiles, edit photos and write entire dialogues for them on dating apps. Some will even use A.I. clones to do the whole thing for them. Others will use A.I. dating coaches to practice chats before a date, help them come up with conversation topics and suggest preplanned date ideas in their cities. — Matthew Hussey, a dating and relationship coach

Long Distance Will Be More Popular

I think long distance relationships are becoming more common because of the internet. People in coastal cities kind of like having the freedom of their own lives and the sexiness of a Parisian crush whom they can text all day (my only will to live). Phone calls will have a massive resurgence because everyone is getting hand cramps from textingitis and phone sex is actually better than sex in the physical realm. — Stef Dag, a stand-up comedian and the host of “Hot & Single,” a digital dating show