Love, dating and marriage in 2021: Here's what Indian singles feel

Love, dating and marriage in 2021: Millennials today are waiting to fall in love with a partner of their choice who shares their vibe and is on the same wavelength. Moreover, they are willing to step out of their comfort zones but that doesn't necessarily transcend into changing themselves completely to cater to what society at large and their family/friends want them to be like, says a relationship expert Dr Rachna Khanna Singh.

According to a recent study by dating app OkCupid, 68 percent of the users say that they don't believe marriage is mandatory for two people in love.

The idea of Valentine's Day and celebrating a whole month of love might make it seem a bit overdone and cliche to 33 per cent of the app's millennial users.

However, 39 per cent of them believe in the idea of love and feel that it deserves to be celebrated in all its glory. "Millennials do not live by gender or societal stereotypes anymore and have broken those shackles. They know who they are and what they want. When it comes to love, they are romantics at heart but they also want love on their own terms," says the relationship expert.

When asked, 'What rules over millennials and their relationships, love or sex?', majority of daters on OkCupid choose having and building an emotional connection over a physical one. Regardless of future plans, when it comes to choosing between love or sex, majority of men (66 per cent) and even more women (86 per cent) said yes to finding their kind of love.

When it comes to offline dating and meet-ups, the findings showed that 67 per cent of the men, a large majority, were very much willing to go on a date with someone who won't take the vaccine.

When asked, 'Would you cancel a Valentine's date with someone who didn't want to take the COVID-19 vaccine", 54 per cent women would cancel their date in case their potential partner is opposed to the idea of taking a vaccine shot, reveals OkCupid data. As per a UserTesting survey, in 2021, Indian couples are no longer paying heed to the pandemic, and are keen on stepping out of their homes. "90 per cent of men and 80 per cent of women stated that they would go out on Valentine's Day versus spending a night at home." According to data from another social networking app Bumble, for an IRL date, single Indians want to ensure safety protocols of using masks and hand sanitisers, and 64 per cent of single Indians claim that before their in-person date, they will also check in on their partner's health status.

As India unlocks lifting restrictions across states, single Indians are also ready to get moving to meet someone in-person who they met online. While almost three-fourths of single Indians indicate they are ready to travel a couple of hours within their city for an in-person with someone they met online, 19 per cent of people claim they are willing to travel to another city for an in-person date.

Being single on the big day can also feel pressuring for some. According to a Shaadi.com survey, 40 per cent feel the pressureto be with someone on Valentine's Day and 62 per cent singles feel that one of the toughest things about Valentine's day is being lonely.