One-Quarter of All Singles Say They Don't Get Lonely During the Holidays; Seniors Among the Least Lonely

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Is advice for the lovelorn needed with greater urgency during the holidays? The answer appears to be a resounding "no" based on the results of a new poll of single Americans, which has found that the unattached know just how to keep loneliness at bay during this eat-drink-and-be-merry season.

According to the latest DatingData poll from People Media, fully half -- 50 percent -- of all single Americans spend more time with family and friends to stave off loneliness during the holiday season, while another sizeable group (18 percent) finds greater motivation to seek new relationships. Reassuringly, one-quarter (25 percent) of all singles report that loneliness during the holidays simply isn't an issue for them at all.

People Media, Inc. (www.peoplemedia.com), the No. 1 provider of targeted online dating communities, monitors the status of single Americans through its ongoing DatingData poll series. Each month, the DatingData poll poses a timely question on many of the company's targeted relationship sites, capturing the sentiments and opinions of a broad cross-section of the single population in America today.

The poll this month asked members: "How do you deal with loneliness during the holidays?" More than 7,000 single Americans responded to this People Media DatingData query, with the following answers:

• 36 percent -- Spend more time with family
• 25 percent -- I do not get lonely during the holidays
• 18 percent -- I get motivated to seek new relationships
• 14 percent -- Spend more time with friends
• 5 percent -- Volunteer
• 2 percent -- Book a solid schedule of holiday parties

"It's pretty uplifting to learn that one-quarter of all single Americans say they don't get lonely during the holidays," said Josh Meyers, CEO, People Media. "The flip side, of course, is that three-quarters do. Their solutions all point to the solace that comes from real and meaningful connections with people, whether it's about marriage or friendship or family."

"With a sizeable group indicating that the holidays give them added motivation to find new relationships, it's no wonder online dating sites get a big surge every year in the first quarter," Meyers added. "The start of a new year is when people take stock of their situation and resolve to bring about change. It may be about going to the gym, getting their finances under control or finding a companion. The good news is that the tools are out there to help them accomplish their goals."

Dissecting the Data: Dealing with Loneliness During the Holidays

In addition to top-line results from the more than 7,000 poll respondents in total, the data reveals some intriguing differences among the targeted communities that comprise the various People Media sites. Among the findings:

• Compared to all singles who report spending more time with family (36%) as a way to deal with loneliness during the holidays, members of certain People Media sites are more likely to name this solution including SingleParentMeet.com (42%) and BlackPeopleMeet.com (40%).
• On the other hand, just 30% of members of SeniorPeopleMeet.com report spending more time with family as a means to coping with holiday loneliness.
• Compared to all those who report they do not get lonely during the holidays (25% of all respondents), members of Christian-affiliated LoveAndSeek.com are less likely to report this answer (19%) as are members of Mormon-based LDSPlanet.com (20%) and SingleParentMeet.com (20%).
• Seniors are slightly more likely to indicate they do not get lonely during the holidays, with 29% of SeniorPeopleMeet.com respondents choosing this answer.
• Members of BBPeopleMeet.com are more likely to report spending more time with friends as a way to combat loneliness (19%, vs. 14% of all respondents).
• Members of religiously-affiliated sites are twice as likely to use volunteering as a way to fight loneliness during the holidays: compared to just 5% of all respondents, 11% of members of LDSPlanet.com and 9% of members of LoveAndSeek.com named this answer.

Gender plays a role in some responses as well:

• Female respondents at SingleParentMeet.com are much more likely than male respondents at the site to say they spend more time with family as a way to fight loneliness during the holidays (51% vs. 34%, compared to 36% of all respondents).
• Similarly, female respondents at BBPeopleMeet.com are more likely than males at the site to report spending more time with friends as a means to deal with loneliness during the holidays (21% vs. 14%, compared to 14% for all respondents).
• Males at SeniorPeopleMeet.com are more likely than the site's female members to get motivated to seek new relationships as a way to fight loneliness during the holidays (26% vs. 17%, compared to 18% for all respondents).
• Male members of BlackPeopleMeet.com (32%) and SeniorPeopleMeet.com (34%) are more likely to report they do not get lonely during the holidays (compared to 25% for all respondents). On the other hand, female members are less likely to report this answer at sites including LoveAndSeek.com (14%), LDSPlanet.com (16%) and SingleParentMeet.com (16%).

Links:

Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/blackpeoplemeet

Twitter:

www.twitter.com/BlackPeopleMeet

twitter.com/srpeoplemeet

About People Media, Inc.

People Media (www.PeopleMedia.com) is the No. 1 provider of targeted online dating communities for attractive singles seeking meaningful relationships. The company operates 27 individual web properties - including www.BlackPeopleMeet.com and www.SeniorPeopleMeet.com - reaching nearly 4 million unique users per month. Its portfolio includes six of the Top 50-ranked personals websites, as reported by comScore Media Metrix - more than any other company. People Media has been a past partner with the Steve Harvey Morning Show and exclusively powers multiple AOL Personals communities. People Media is a rapidly growing innovator in the online personals space, which is expected to reach $1.2 billion in worldwide revenues by 2009 (Jupiter Research). People Media is based in Hollywood, Calif., and is a unit of Match.com, an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI).

About Match.com

Match.com pioneered online personals when it launched on the Web in 1995 and continues to lead this exciting and evolving category after more than a decade. Throughout its 14-year history, Match.com has helped redefine the way people meet and fall in love. Match.com provides a rich tapestry of ethnicities, interests, goals, ambitions, quirks, looks and personalities from which to choose. Match.com operates some of the leading subscription-based online dating sites in 24 countries, in 8 languages and spanning five continents, as well as oversees its ongoing investment in Meetic. Match.com also powers online dating on MSN across Asia, Australia, the United States and Latin America. Match.com is an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI).

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Josh Meyers

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=90027

Ron Worthy

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=90028

SOURCE People Media, Inc.

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.PeopleMedia.com