Are you walking into the New Year without a plus one? Survey reveals single daters are moving beyond casual matches this year-end

Year-end reflection has changed how singles interact on dating apps, with a growing focus on quality over quantity. (Image: Pexels)

• Indian daters are raising standards as 2025 ends, reports QuackQuack.
• 44% of young users reconsider past dating choices, seek conscious matches
• Year-end anxiety leads to chat reviews and bolder, more honest dating approaches

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With 2025 coming to an end, daters across India are reflecting on their love lives. Dating app, QuackQuack, reports seeing noticeable shifts in user behaviour as many are now re-evaluating their choices, dissecting old conversations, and slightly panicking about walking into another year without a plus one. This sudden romance audit has changed the way people are connecting and committing.

The year-end survey was conducted among 9746 users from Tier 1, 2, and 3 Indian cities, among active dating app users between the ages of 22 and 35. QuackQuack's Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "This December, dating is suddenly far less casual and far more reflective; we see this swift shift every year. The new year approaching sparks some sense of urgency, but we are glad to see that young daters are still making intentional choices. Moreover, we are noticing that people don't want more matches; they want the right one. Users are reflecting on their own dating patterns, questioning their past choices, and surely raising their own standards."

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Resolutionary Dating

Not just gym memberships, dating resolutions also skyrocket as the new year rolls in. Almost 44% of daters between 22 and 28 admitted to rethinking the dating choices they made in the past, and three in five daters say they no longer want to settle for less. The trend has led to a resolutionary dating style, where users are focusing on more conscious matches. They have stopped entertaining low-effort connections and started reflecting on their true desires in a relationship, instead of blindly following what looks good on paper. "Consistency," "worth my effort," "emotionally available" are some of the phrases gaining popularity in user bios as daters welcome 2026.

Chat autopsy

Year-end brings with it some overthinking along with reflection and introspection. 3 in 5 daters from Tier 1 and 2 cities disclosed revisiting old chats to see where things went wrong or pinpoint the flaw in them for better conversational skills on their next try. This trend is more commonly seen among daters who experienced sudden ghosting, almost-relationships, and unintentional situationships.

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The Plus One Panic

The end of the year doubles up as the busiest wedding season, creating a slight panic among the singles who are bound to hear the almost obvious, "You are next." 27% of women and 31% of men above 26 shared feeling increased dating anxiety during this period; some confessed to going back to old matches only to understand that they didn't work out for a reason. 18% of daters disclosed fast-tracking some conversations to make one match land, but the rush has never ended well for most of them. However, 2 in 5 matches above 30 claimed that the panic is not always a bad thing; some explained that it has made them bolder in terms of approaching matches and even being more honest about their expectations with quicker disclosure of non-negotiables. Panic has also led to some form of clarity for many daters.