Government hooks up with dating apps to boost vaccine uptake

Leading dating brands including Tinder, Match, Hinge, Bumble, Badoo, Plenty of Fish, OurTime and Muzmatch have teamed up with the government to encourage their users to get Covid-19 vaccinations through a new campaign.

Some of the UK’s leading dating brands will add new features to their apps and web sites to support the government’s ‘every vaccination gives us hope’ campaign. The campaign encourages younger people to get their vaccine in the second phase of the rollout, and join the millions who have already received their jabs.

This partnership comes as recent YouGov poll shows 59% of adults would either prefer their date to be vaccinated or wouldn’t date an unvaccinated person, and under 30s are invited to be vaccinated.

The new features will allow users to show their support for the vaccine on their dating profiles and give in-app bonuses to those who say they are vaccinated.

Features will include vaccination badges and stickers to display on dating profiles, free “Super Likes” and other boost-type features. Users will also start seeing adverts and banners for the ‘every vaccination gives us hope’ campaign.

Although providing vaccination status on these apps is optional, data has shown that people are more likely to date someone who has received a Covid-19 vaccination.

A YouGov poll conducted on 21 May also shows 31% of adults would prefer to date someone who was vaccinated and a further 28% would not date someone unless they had received the jab.

"We understand the concerns young Muslims have regarding the vaccination, so we're really thrilled to be working with the UK government on the vaccine campaign," said Shahzad Younas, Founder, CEO, Muzmatch. "Misinformation has been spreading at an alarming rate in our communities, which is why we’re glad to work with the NHS to clear up myths about the vaccine and encourage our members to get vaccinated."

On Tinder members will be able to add a variety of stickers to their profile including “I’m Vaccinated” or “Vaccines Save Lives,” with Tinder giving those who support the campaign a free “Super Like” to help them stand out among potential matches. Tinder will also launch a “Vaccine Centre” with a suite of resources to educate and connect members with their nearest vaccination site.

"We are honoured to work with the UK government to encourage our members to participate in the vaccination campaign across our dating platforms," said Alexandre Lubot, CEO of Match Group, EMEA and APAC. "A unified push towards more vaccinations will allow people to once again meet in person and connect in meaningful ways."

Match members will be able to add a new badge to their profile to display their vaccine status, with those who participate in the campaign receiving a free “Boost” to help them stand out on the app. Match’s AI-enabled Dating Coach, Lara, will also encourage Match users to get their vaccination badge.