Users of the dating app OkCupid can now add an ‘I’m vaccinated’ badge to their dating profiles. With the buzz around vaccination growing and many states and cities opening up again, people looking to date using the OkCupid app will now have the option of knowing whether the other person is vaccinated against COVID-19.
OkCupid noted in a study that there was a 763% increase in conversations around vaccination between March and June 2021, and the relevance of the same in users while selecting a match for themselves. "Keeping the users’ priority in mind, and helping them match over what matters most to them, the dating app has just released an ‘I’m Vaccinated’ profile badge and special stack to help users make informed choices about their dating lives,” the company said in a media release.
Announcing that they are vaccinated on their profiles will allow OkCupid users to join the vaccinated stack which would help them match with like-minded individuals who have also been vaccinated. “Activated by declaring one’s vaccination status on the app, the 'I'm vaccinated' badge appears in profile and is expected to result in a 35% increase in match rate with others who are either vaccinated or getting vaccinated soon,” OkCupid said. The company is also planning to encourage those who have not yet been vaccinated to take the shot by providing medically verified information on http://okcupid.knowthevaccine.com/.
The OkCupid study further found that as of June 2021, 69% of men and 71% of women answered ‘yes’ to the question of whether they would take the COVID-19 vaccine. Further, 45% of women would cancel their date in case their potential partner is opposed to the idea of taking a vaccine shot. However, 69% of the men were willing to go on a date with someone who won't take the vaccine.
Anukool Kumar, Marketing Director at OkCupid, said, “With vaccination being the most important point of conversation today, we felt a responsibility to help daters who have gotten vaccinated or want to get the vaccine match with others who believe the same as it is a matter of health and safety. Hence to make it easier for our users to find a potential match who believes in the benefit of getting vaccinated, we introduced the ‘I’m vaccinated’ badge and stack as an endeavour to help people make informed decisions, especially in their search for love.”