25 October,2012 10:51 AM IST | | ANI
While 29 percent of those over 55 have been on a blind date, just three percent of those aged 18 to 24 have ever experienced a date with someone they knew next-to-nothing about.
Match.com's annual LoveGeist report found that 62 percent of singles now research their dates online before they meet them using search engines and social networking sites.
Amongst the more computer savvy 18-24-year-olds, the percentage of those who investigate their date prior to meeting up is as high as 71.
Search engines like Google are used by 30 percent of those contemplating a first date, while 20 percent check out a partner's Twitter account.
Facebook is a major source of information with a massive 71 percent of those suffering pre-date doubts while 36 percent use dating websites to do the research for them.
One reason for this seems to be a quest for an increasingly âperfect' partner, with people from Britain assessing a date's compatibility, humour, values and intelligence as well as the more obvious level of attractiveness before agreeing to that all important first date.
"Technology has changed the way we date in many important ways. With so much information about potential partners right at our finger tips, whether it's on our online dating profiles or another social network, it's understandable that we don't want to leave who we date up to chance," the Daily Mail quoted Kate Taylor, a relationship expert at match.com, as saying.
"As we wave goodbye to the blind date, it's clear that people are investing their time more carefully into picking a partner, and that researching a date online before you meet up so you feel comfortable that the conversation won't dry up is a refreshing addition to modern dating," she added.u00a0
