Many singles over 50, 60 and beyond are dating now for the first time in decades.

They were married or in long term relationships and then suddenly found themselves single, and possibly hesitant to get out there again.

They may not know where to start.
They may be fearful of online dating because they’re convinced it’s overloaded with weirdos, scammers and losers.
They may have been in a series of bad relationships in the past, and worry that they keep picking the wrong “type”.
They may have had a wonderful long term relationship or marriage with someone who has died and, although they’d like to have that again, they think no one can replace their loved one.
They may be daunted by preconceived notions of what really goes on with mature dating.
They may be confused about what they really want.
They may be worried about having sex with a new partner.

It’s no wonder that so many singles shy away from jumping back into the dating game after such a long absence.

Dating Statistics on Sex and Love for Singles Over 50

The dating site OurTime conducted a survey of 1,000 singles over 50, nearly half of which hadn’t been on a date for 5 years. Granted, this is a small study, but the findings are telling.

Mature Dating and Sex

Here are some of the studies’ findings about mature dating and sexual practices.

Misconceptions About Mature Daters

Half of singles over 50 in the study said the biggest misconception about them is that they are NOT interested in sex
46% cited the misconception that they are not open to new experiences
45% said there is the misconception that their health is deteriorating
44% agreed there is the misconception that they are lonely or less social
38% experienced the misconception that they have a negative outlook on life, or that they’re not happy.

The Big First Kiss

53% of single respondents over 50 are fine with kissing someone after one date.

Happy or Unhappy with Sex Life

51% of singles over 50 were NOT satisfied with their sex lives. 69% of them wanted to go on 2-4 dates per month. And they would like to have sex 7 times a month.

Dating Practices and Mores Have Changed

45% of 50+ singles responding said they were open to “friends with benefits” relationships
27% were okay with one-night stands.
23% had cheated on someone
21% had gone to a date’s house to “watch a movie” and ended up having sex
20% were open to dating multiple people at the same time
Nearly 20% had taken nude photos of themselves and 66% of them had shared the photos, with men doing so more than women (70% vs. 62%).
16% were okay with having threesomes
17% had ghosted others

Mature Dating and LOVE

Overall, the study showed that, although singles over 50 are nervous about dating, they want to find love and romance badly enough that they’re willing to get back out there.

Men in the study were slightly more hopeful than women about finding true love.

What things about dating are most worrisome to you?

The top dating dilemmas for respondents (in order, starting with most concerning) was:

Finding people to date
Actually asking for a date
Getting to know people before the first date
The first kiss or sign of affection
The belief that the right one for them doesn’t exist
They don’t know how and where to start

Have you thought about your ideal partner and your dating dealbreakers?

Are there things in people you will date that are absolutely unacceptable?

Respondents listed their top 3:

Someone who smokes
Someone who is not financially stable
Someone who is pessimistic.

You may feel it’s risky to get involved with someone who’s never been married, but in the survey, it only concerned 6% of the respondents.

More Mature Dating Statistics

In Cosmo’s article here on Smart Dating Over 60, Mature Dating Statistics Show that Finding True Love is Not Just for the Young, you’ll find stats from various studies about things like:

Are Mature Adults Serious About Dating?
Is the Online Dating Pool Full of Desperate, Shady People?
Men and Women Over 50 Don’t Let Technology Hurt Their Relationships
The Biggest Users of Online Dating Services
True Love is the Most Important Reason to Get Married
Mature Dating is Simply Much More Fun Than During Our Younger Days
Mature Daters Make Better Decisions About Compatibility
Mature Daters Are More Honest in Their Online Dating Profiles
When Dating Gets Serious, Trust but Verify – STD’s for Men and Women Over 55 Are Rising

And go to his article, Dating Statistics for Singles Over 50, for statistics on things like: