Behind the scenes
Half of Europe’s shoppers make secret purchases
by Alex Hämmerli
Sex, lies and ghosting – online dating in Europe
24/9/2025
Translation: Elicia Payne
In Europe, one in two women has ghosted someone and one in four people lie on dating platforms. A representative survey commissioned by Galaxus shows that the biggest disappointments happen in Switzerland, the best dates in France and the most sex in Austria.
Heart flutters, frustration or even butterflies – when you’re dating it’s a fine line between happiness and disillusionment. So how do people in Europe experience digital dating? These are the findings of a representative survey conducted by market researcher YouGov on behalf of online retailer Galaxus. A total of 2,651 people were surveyed in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy.
While more than one in four users had sex after online dates in Switzerland and Austria, the figure was less than two in ten in Italy. And, according to the survey, the French go on the best dates.
Four out of ten people in Switzerland have had bad or disappointing experiences, while in Italy only two out of ten have experienced frustration on Tinder, Bumble and the like. The country with the most committed relationships following a swipe is Austria, while Italy has the lowest success rate.
When the profile’s better than the reality
Online daters in Switzerland describe themselves as the most honest dating app users in Europe – seven out of ten said they were «very honest» in their profiles and when chatting. In Italy, it’s six out of ten. Here too, 17 per cent have sugar-coated things and 12 per cent have even lied or invented details in order to appear more attractive.
Men are generally more inclined to enhance their profiles. In Switzerland, men gloss over details such as age, height, job or hobbies almost five times as often as women. In Germany and Austria, on the other hand, the ratio of honest and sugar-coated profiles between the sexes is almost the same.
Ghosting: all Europeans do it
Around 65 per cent of dating app users in Europe have experienced the other person suddenly breaking off contact – a phenomenon known as «ghosting». Around 40 per cent state that they’ve ghosted someone in the past. Seven out of ten people said they’ve been ghosted.
Women ghost more often than men. This difference is particularly noticeable in France, where 60 per cent of French women but only 40 per cent of French men say they’ve ghosted someone. Ghosting’s less common in Germany. There, 50 per cent of women have ghosted compared to 29 per cent of men.
A third of people over 60 have dated online
In Europe, almost half of the population has used a dating app at least once. In almost all the countries surveyed, the 30 to 44 age group is the most active, with peak values in Austria (71%) and Germany (67%). The only exception is Switzerland, where a particularly large number of people under 30 use dating apps (65%). The proportion of people who’ve ever used a dating app also decreases with age. Yet, a third of the population among the over-60s are familiar with swiping and Super Likes.
Despite all the efforts and disappointments, the willingness to pay for dating apps is low across Europe – two out of three people surveyed don’t want to spend money on premium memberships or better visibility.
Still, many Europeans clearly aren’t giving up online dating. The hope of making new acquaintances or finding true love prevails.
*What are your experiences with dating apps? Would you pay for them? And have you ever ghosted someone or been ghosted yourself?
Manuel Wenk
Communications Manager
Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.chAs a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.
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