When do singles feel like dating? When they 'need someone on my side,' Koreans say

A recent survey by a local dating app showed that single South Koreans feel the urge to look for a romantic relationship mostly when they want someone on their side.

Dating app Noondate conducted the survey of 16,792 men and women across the country who are not romantically involved with anyone, asking them when they feel like starting a romantic relationship. The leading answer for both sexes was "when I feel like I want someone to take my side," chosen by 48 percent of women and 39 percent of men.

The next most popular answer for women was "when I hear about a friend getting married or starting a relationship" (14 percent), followed by, "when I meet the person of my dreams" (11 percent).

For men, the No. 2 answer was "when I suddenly feel lonely," at 18 percent, closely followed by, "when I meet the person of my dreams," at 17 percent.

Studies and surveys have shown that fewer South Koreans are actively pursuing or showing interest in romantic relationships.

A 2023 study by consulting firm PMI showed that a substantial portion of Korea's population have never had a romantic relationship, even well into adulthood. The survey on 3,000 single adults across the country showed that 21 percent of the respondents in their 20s, 16 percent in their 30s and 15.5 percent in their 40s have never had a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

When asked why they weren't in a romantic relationship, 33.6 percent of respondents said, "It is more comfortable being alone."

Amid these trends, the number of marriages has decreased considerably in the past decade here. According to the Statistics Korea, 193,673 marriages took place across the country in 2023, which marked a 40 percent drop from 322,807 in 2013.