3 in 5 S’porean singles have ghosted or been ghosted

[The_King]

SINGAPORE – Halloween season is almost here, and if you think ghosts are scary, wait until you see how haunting ghosting can be.

A new nationwide study by women-first dating and social networking app Bumble has found that three in five Singaporean singles have ghosted someone or have been ghosted, turning ghosting into a nightmarishly common phenomenon here.

The survey was conducted online with 1,001 Gen Z and millennials in Singapore from Aug 5 to 16.

 

Among the survey respondents, 57 per cent have ghosted someone. Individuals who ghosted said they did so due to not feeling a connection (56 per cent), being busy (43 per cent) and wanting to avoid the awkward conversation of closing off the relationship (37 per cent).

Women are significantly more likely than men to ghost someone if their date did or said something that turned them off, it was found.

Of the respondents, 61 per cent have been ghosted before. Those who have been ghosted indicated they became discouraged, less confident and wary when it came to dating. In particular, men were more likely than women to feel less confident in their approach to dating.

 

 

Of the respondents, 65 per cent do not think ghosting is a suitable way to end relationships. In particular, Gen Zers have a stronger anti-ghosting stance, with 69 per cent believing that ghosting is inappropriate.

 

Conversely, millennials (60 per cent) are more likely than Gen Zs (51 per cent) to ghost someone due to a lack of connection, and 38 per cent of millennials believe ghosting is a normal phenomenon, compared with just 20 per cent of Gen Zs.

Ms Lucille McCart, Bumble’s Asia-Pacific communications director, said in a press release: “At Bumble, we are firmly against ghosting, and believe that it is always better to have open and honest conversations if you’d like to end a relationship, or even just a correspondence.

“It may be uncomfortable, but this momentary discomfort is an act of kindness and respect and will allow the person to receive closure to move on.”

She added: “If you have ever been ghosted and it has made you feel disheartened, move forward with the knowledge that they aren’t the right match for you.”