New data from OKCupid shows that climate denial, also referred to as “petromasculinity,” was the biggest deal-breaker for dating app users, according to The Hill.

Of 250,000 users surveyed worldwide by OKCupid, 90% of users said it was important for their match to care about climate change. Over the past three years, 6 million users have been surveyed, and results show that 81% of users were concerned about climate change. 

“We have just seen over time, climate change being more and more this huge topic for our millennial daters especially,” Jane Reynolds, director of product marketing at OKCupid, told The Hill. 

How does OkCupid work?

OkCupid presents its users with a questionnaire and feeds the answers into their algorithm, which does the matchmaking based on the results. Data scientists at the company analyze responses and study how one’s reaction to one question might affect one’s answer to another question.

When it comes to the environment, 90% of users care about it, and women are 7% more likely than men to care. Reynolds acknowledged that responses across the country were pretty similar and made OkCupid “a progressive app.”

How caring about climate change can improve your dating life

Furthermore, 76% of 650,000 daters worldwide said their partners must support gender equality, and 66% of 2 million U.S.-based daters said they supported stricter gun control laws. Over the past five years, there has also been increased “likes” for people concerned about climate change and identify as feminists. 

OkCupid handles around 4 million matches each week and is the fifth most popular online dating app, according to Statista. Historically the company has seen increased matches for people who care about social justice. In 2020, it found that people were increasingly matching with other people who were registered to vote and supported the BLM movement, according to the OkCupid dating blog.

In 2021 data showed that daters who cared about climate change had more matches, so the company decided to release their climate change advocate badge and stack. For Earth month, users could respond yes to “Do you want to support the environment by adding a climate change advocate badge to your profile?” They would then receive the badge and be featured in the climate change stack.

This made it easier for fellow climate advocates to find their perfect match. Furthermore, for every person that added this badge, OkCupid donated $1 to earthday.org. The company has also found that climate change and environment questions generate 7.5 million responses worldwide, and it is the topic where men’s and women’s views align the closest.

Beyond climate change

While adding what you care about can boost your chances, daters concerned about climate change can get up to 37% more likes, according to the blog. Additionally, daters who are concerned with climate change are 26% more likely to get COVID-19 vaccinated, 12% more likely to think a good sense of humor in a match is essential, 14% more likely to pay extra for guac, and 400% more likely to consider themselves a feminist.

Why should you care?

Stay-at-home orders and social distancing have increased interest in online dating. In 2020, a survey reported that 31% of millennials were using online dating apps or services more than before COVID-19, according to Statista.

Romantic interactions are increasingly happening online, and to find a match, you need to put your best foot forward. Showing your genuine interest in social causes can seal the deal.