From traditional dates to digital swipes: How generational differences shape online dating choices

Dating apps are increasingly used alongside traditional offline dating, yet limited research explains why users shift their primary reliance toward these platforms or how this process varies by age. Drawing on the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) framework, this study examines how limitations of offline dating, the attractiveness of dating apps, and barriers to technology adoption are associated with switching intention among younger and older adults. Survey data from 375 Chinese dating-app users, including 190 older adults and 185 younger adults, were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and multigroup analysis. Structural barriers to offline dating were more strongly associated with dissatisfaction among older adults. Attractiveness was positively associated with switching intention in both groups, but its failure to satisfy compositional invariance limits interpretation of the difference between the group-specific coefficients. Personalised and efficient matching were positively associated with app attractiveness in both groups, and privacy risk was negatively associated with switching intention across age groups. Switching costs were negatively associated with switching intention in the older-adult model, although the corresponding age-group difference was not statistically significant. These findings extend the PPM framework by demonstrating how motivations and barriers associated with dating-app use differ across age groups. They also provide design implications for age-inclusive matching functions, privacy controls, onboarding, and user-support features.