In a new initiative with the White House, some major dating apps are offering users the opportunity to share their vaccination status and access premium features if they have received the shot. The companies and the Biden administration are hoping this will encourage people to get vaccinated and allow people to feel comfortable swiping right on other vaccinated singles.
Participating dating apps include the most popular platforms like Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, and Hinge. It will also include those like BLK, which caters to Black singles, and Chispa, which is marketed for Latinx people.
The apps will “help people meet people who have that universally attractive quality—they have been vaccinated against COVID-19,” Andy Slavitt, one of President Joe Biden’s top COVID-19 advisors, said in a press briefing last week. “We have all finally found the one thing that makes us all more attractive: a vaccination.”
Reaching Young People
More than 60% of American adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and half are now fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. The White House is aiming to get 160 million American adults, or 70% of the population, at least one dose of the vaccine by July 4.
Slavitt emphasized that dating apps, which cater to more than 50 million people in the U.S., could play a key role in reaching that goal. People under the age of 40 are the least vaccinated group and young people make up the bulk of dating site users. Verywell Health research finds that younger people are also the most likely to be vaccine-hesitant.
“I think it’s refreshing to say that yes, you can have a White House that is really trying to reach every American at all ages and all sorts of social situations,” Patsy Stinchfield, APRN, CNP, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children’s Minnesota, tells Verywell.
“Nothing like fireworks to signal a new spark and a new start for those looking to meet new people IRL this summer,” Jim Lanzone, CEO of Tinder said in a statement.
Encouraging Vaccination
Many of the participating dating apps will provide incentives, like allowing people to show badges showing vaccination status, filters to see only vaccinated people, and other premium content.
For example, Bumble will offer free credits for premium features like Spotlight and SuperSwipe, which allow people to be more visible on the app and indicate strong interest in certain matches. “The company will also leverage its network of influencers to amplify the need to get vaccinated as part of a push this summer,” a Bumble spokesperson tells Verywell in an email.
Tinder will allow users to add stickers to their profile, saying “I’m vaccinated,” “Vaxing Soon,” and “Vaccines Save Lives.”
There has been an 800% increase in the number of mentions of “vaccine” in messages between Tinder users, according to the company. According to OkCupid, people who display their vaccine status are 14% more likely to get matches on the site, Slavitt states. Some hope that by publicly sharing one’s vaccination status or intent to be vaccinated, other users may feel compelled to get the shot.
“Maybe people [will] say, ‘Wow I really want to date this person and if the only thing I don’t have in common is the vaccine, I’ll go get vaccinated,’” Stinchfield says.
Per the CDC guidelines, vaccinated people may spend time together indoors or outdoors without wearing masks. Once joined by unvaccinated people, however, people may need to wear masks to be safe. With mixed vaccination statuses, navigating date plans can become more complex.
“If you’re a couple, and one of you is vaccinated and the other one is unvaccinated, how do you apply those rules to you as a couple as you’re going out into social settings?” Stinchfield says.
Getting Information Out
Some apps will include an information center with a vaccine locator tool from Vaccine.gov to help people locate their closest vaccination site and sign up for an appointment. Tinder will also include resources from organizations like the World Health Organization for people seeking more information.
Stinchfield says she hopes that this initiative will lead to more civil and informed conversations about the vaccine, especially for people who are still on the fence about immunization.
Looping Companies In
The dating apps’ vaccination efforts are not an official partnership with the White House, though the New York Times reports that the administration played a large role in getting them to participate.
In another initiative, the White House announced earlier this month, two of the country’s largest ride-sharing services, Uber and Lyft, will provide free rides to vaccination sites between May 24 and July 4.
The administration has previously partnered with organizations like NASCAR and social media sites including Facebook to get the word out about vaccinations and increase immunization rates in at-risk communities.
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