Regional Identity Influences Dating Choices!

Hyderabad: Regional identity significantly shapes the dating preference of young Indians. The latest study led by India's most downloaded dating app, QuackQuack, shows that 18 per cent of Indian women prefer matches who follow similar customs and traditions.

The study was conducted with a sample size of 10,000 active daters between the ages of 22 and 35 from major urban and suburban Indian cities; respondents came from various professional backgrounds, including experts in IT, healthcare, finance, education, and various other sectors, with a portion of jobseekers and individuals pursuing higher education.

Participants were asked a series of questions related to the importance of regional identity in matchmaking decisions. The app's Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "In a culturally diverse country like ours, regional customs and traditions play a big part in forming romantic relationships. We have over three crore users, and continuous analysation of their dating habits has shown that most of our users find matches who share similar family traditions, have language compatibility, and share religious practices and beliefs."

Cultural Familiarity

More than 25 per cent of the users above 30 voiced that cultural familiarity makes it easier to bond with a new match. As many as 4 in 5 women revealed that they feel more comfortable and confident dating a man from a similar cultural background; it makes future planning more stress-free. Isha (30), from Bangalore, commented, "If I am looking for a serious partner to settle with, I will definitely place more importance on cultural familiarity; it will also give me one less thing to worry about while presenting the relationship to my parents."

Urban respondents highlighted the importance of familiar festivals and rituals, while suburban users mentioned actively looking for similar family traditions in their matches. 33-year-old healthcare professional Ranjith said, "I think we all want a partner who can easily understand our ways of life, and cultural familiarity makes the process smoother. While it might not be a deal-breaker for most people, it is one of the deciding factors for almost all."

Language forms an emotional connection

Around 36 per cent of women from the metros and smaller cities responded that language often factors in while seeking potential matches. Women from the Southern and Eastern parts of India prioritised linguistic compatibility slightly more than the rest of the country; the trend is also more prominent among users between the ages of 25 and 30. They responded that linguistic comfort helps in deeper communication, which leads to a more meaningful connection.

Proximity is a deal-maker

The study showed that for 16 per cent of daters below 24, proximity and locality were factored in while looking for a match. For people living in major Indian cities, it was more about the practical convenience, and geographical proximity also offered matches with more identical socioeconomic backgrounds; for the suburban users, proximity was more closely connected to similar regional culture and satisfying family expectations. Girish, a school teacher from Roorkee, said, "While looking for matches, I feel that it can be difficult for a woman from a big city to adapt to a small-town lifestyle or for me to adjust to hers. It's one of the primary reasons I stick to my location."

Regional Interests

From food preference to taste in music, everything works to bring matches closer, and 13 per cent of QuackQuack users from Tier 2 Indian cities agree on the same. Regional hobbies and interests like local sports, regional music and dance, and arts and crafts, plays a significant role in an online relationship. Harish (35) from Kochi, said, "My current match and I share the same love for folk music and are trained in the same music. It was the primary connecting factor for us. I think such shared regional interests lead to a better understanding of your partner's background."