Dating culture in Singapore can be hit or miss, especially when it comes to Gen Z (and millennials), who more readily use dating sites to find first dates than older generations.
One Reddit user posted about her experience on Hinge and Bumble, which read: “We can hit off extremely well, and be ghosted after weeks of chatting; one boy stalked me at my house, pestered my neighbors for 3 consecutive nights, and wanted to marry me after the first date. 5 other boys simply blocked and ghosted after cultivating almost weeks of conversation just because things don’t work out their way (aka, hinting for sex) they can go from ‘I’m looking for a lifelong partner” to “tell me your fantasies, I’m in bed right now.’“
Still, a recent study by Bumble of over 40,000 Gen Z and millennial singles worldwide, including those in Singapore, show that single people aren’t giving up on finding love—80% of Singaporean singles are determined to find a long-term partner in the next year—but approaches to relationships are changing in a notable way. For instance, a recent survey by Lunch Actually in Singapore has shown that 70% of single men (compared to 56% five years ago) are willing to date older women than before.
Trends in 2025 be like:
Micro-mance
According to the Bumble study, 39% of women in Singapore feel a lack of romance has negatively impacted their dating lives. But that doesn’t mean that guys don’t feel the pressure.
One Redditor voiced his frustration: “The last date I went on with was this woman who complained that every date was boring and this was the last one she’s gonna try. But she proceeded to put 0 effort citing that she is very easy-going and everything will be fine. Then proceeded to complain and say it’s boring that we just went out to eat. Hello, we just met for the first time only. It’s tiring for the guys too. I’m not even 30 and I think I should just give up.”
This is probably why the idea of “romance” is shifting from grand gestures to “micro-mance”—small, meaningful actions like sending memes, creating playlists, or sharing personal stories. Singaporean singles agree that these little moments are now key to showing love and affection, as a Reddit user chimed: “My heart coats with warmth whenever the guy I’m talking to drops me hints of messages and sends things (TikTok/articles) my way. Hold on to that, the people you can vibe with will defo appreciate the gesture.”
Livestreaming Dates
Dating has become our new reality show, with everything from GRWMs and live-streamed break-ups to post-date debriefs and relationship “tests.” This openness is having a positive effect, with half of Singaporean singles embracing authentic content that shows both the highs and lows of dating and making them feel more optimistic about their own love lives.
Check out an excerpt of this reality show where a guy asks a girl out during a live broadcast:
Let’s face it: we’re all pretty kaypoh people, so watching others go through dates is definitely something we’d love to watch!
Fanclubbing together
Shared passions are becoming a major factor in dating, with niche interests like book clubs, fandoms (like TayTay and LISA!), thrifting, and blind boxes trending in 2025. For over half of Singaporean singles, having unique hobbies makes someone more attractive. Then again, it makes sense that being involved in activities or social communities not only makes you more interesting but also helps you meet like-minded people.
One Redditor attests to the importance of having something in common: “It seems like a litmus test is the ability to engage thru writing… back in the day, there was an edgy “intellectual” site which had a personals section and that was where me and SO met–no pics, just WRITING. We’re both wall of text ppl, readers and writers, so that worked for us.”
Guy Best Friend
There’s a growing trend of the male best friend becoming a key part of the dating support system. In Singapore, 59% of women rely on male friends to help decode men’s dating behaviour, and 22% even ask them to filter potential dates!
Another reason women have male friends: “I spent my uni days slaving off to do well at school and embarking on my career – did not think much about the guys around me or shed the romantic partner spotlight on any of them hahaha now they’re all bros and things would get WEIRD if anything were to spark there.”
Male-Casting
Male archetypes – from babygirl, to finance bros, and the hunk – are trending in pop culture, sparking more discussions about ideal traits and stereotypes. Men feel these tropes often lead to false assumptions, while over half of women believe it’s time for the conversation on masculinity to evolve.
Gender bias is something hardcoded in us as a society, and you can read this study to find out more.
Downside of app dating
A common complaint of dating online is the lack of communication skills: “Bad matches come with the usual flavours: poor conversational skills, lack of interest and inability to be honest if they want to continue or not (for those that progress to the meetup stage).”
Then there’s the perennial issue that many dating apps face: men often get less matches than women. “Men get a lot less matches because average women don’t swipe on average men. Men above average get hella lot matches from women, especially women below their leagues, and it’s easy to get sex from such women because the women are desperate to hang on to these men and give in easily.“
Above all, safety is paramount when using dating sites, as one Redditor ThrowRAaccount-00 shares: “I told people I don’t tell my address because I’m scared of stalkers and they get incredulous. But it is true and it happens. I think some guys do immature things and emotionally weird things as a strategy to emotionally manipulate, or it could be they think that puts them in a position that pushes the woman to feel feelings for them no matter good or bad, but that’s my POV.”
However, dating online is still a growing trend, as it provides a lot of options for “a lot of fish in the sea”. Redittor sundaecorgi warns that looking for that “perfect someone” in that sea is almost impossible: “Dating apps subconsciously push the idea of looking for a perfect fit (i.e. looks, values, goals, etc. has to be pretty much 100% aligned) with all the options they provide. While this is good for quickly filtering dealbreakers like religion or having/not having children, it leaves other aspects of a person no room for compromise. There is no relationship that does not take effort from both sides to make it work. Dating apps train us to say ‘I don’t like this aspect of this person, I should probably just give up and find another’ instead of ‘I don’t like this aspect, is it something that I am willing to compromise on or ask the person to improve upon?’“
For those looking for love – whether on apps or in person – here’s a little quote to consider: We don’t learn to find someone right, we learn to love the right one.
