Sources & research

Advice you can't check is just opinion with confidence. Every number on this site traces back to a named, dated source — here they are, along with how we read them and what we refuse to treat as evidence.

The research we cite

Pew Research Center

Online dating studies

The backbone of our numbers on how people over 50 actually experience online dating: 57% of women over 50 describe it as negative vs 38% of men; about half of users over 50 seek a long-term partner; Match is the most used platform in this age group.

View the study →Cited across our getting-started, women’s and men’s guides.

U.S. Census Bureau

America’s Families and Living Arrangements

The population data behind «more than 37 million single Americans over 50» — our standing answer to «is there anyone even out there?». Yes. A nation of them.

View the study →Cited on the homepage, hubs, and most guides.

The Senior List

Older Singles Dating Study (2024)

A late-2024 survey of older singles showing that mature daters know what they want — and that selectivity tracks with satisfaction. It is the research twin of what we see in real life.

View the study →Cited in our complete guide, women’s guide, and age-gap articles.

How we read a study before citing it

Primary source only. We link the study itself, not an article about an article about it. If we can't find the original, we don't cite the number.
Date attached, always. A statistic without a year is folklore. Every figure we print carries its source and vintage in the same sentence.
Method check. Who was surveyed, how many, and how were they found? A self-selected poll of app users is not a picture of everyone over 50 — and we say so when it matters.
Numbers don't replace judgment. Research tells you the terrain; it doesn't walk it for you. Where evidence is thin, we write «in our experience» and mean exactly that.

What we refuse to treat as evidence

Undated «studies show» claims — the internet's favorite ghost citation.
Influencer polls and engagement-bait surveys with no methodology.
AI-generated statistics. If a number can't be traced to a real study, it doesn't get printed here — full stop.
Platform-funded research presented as neutral (we note the funder when we reference any).

Found a broken link or a better source?

Research moves; links rot; better studies appear. Tell us athello@over50romance.com — we'll update within a week and note the change.

Our full sourcing rules live in the editorial policy. Want to quote us in your own work? See how to cite Over 50 Romance.