The modern dating
world has its lingo- breadcrumbing, benching, and whatnot. While these sound
ominous, Indian dating app QuackQuack's survey suggests that the truth is much
more hopeful. Some of these trends might be toxic, but the fact that daters
identified and named them tells a story of emotional awareness and mindful
dating. Both GenZ and Millennials are growing more self-assured about
maneuvering romantic connections, even though the two generations take a
slightly different route.
The consumer study,
conducted at the beginning of April 2025, surveyed over 10,000 users between 18
and 35 from metros, suburbs, and rural areas. Daters were asked to share their
experience with dating trends and how they work around and through them.
Respondents were split between GenZ and Millennials to get a better idea of the
two generations' methods of dealing with new and coming trends.
"What amazes
us most is the way both generations are evolving," commented QuackQuack's
Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal. "As the survey shows, the two generations
have a gap in the way they approach dating, but, somewhere, it gets bridged by
a common factor- they are both becoming increasingly aware and their
willingness to beat all odds and find genuine connections. Moreover, we are seeing
a cultural shift- mystery was cool back in the days, but clarity is way cooler
today."
Setting the standards- GenZ is on it
A finding from the
survey that stood out is GenZ's attitude towards mixed signals and unclear
intentions- they called them out and set them right for themselves and the
generations to come. 43% of daters between 20 and 25 showed extreme emotional
maturity when they shared how trends like breadcrumbing, benching, or ghosting-
that leave daters stuck in a loop can be easily countered by setting proper
boundaries. Tonya (23) from Delhi said, "We are not afraid of
asking, 'Is this going anywhere?' Because if it isn't, why am I
being breadcrumbed? And I think it's rubbing off on the once-polite
Millennials, too. My sister is 28, and recently, I heard her break off a
friendship because they were only around when they needed her and never
else."
What do Millennials bring to the table?
While GenZ might
have mastered transparency and boundaries, Millennials are still winning on the
emotional front- they are known for their thoughtfulness. QuackQuack's study
shows that 4 in 5 Millennials are more mindful about labeling a connection, as
compared to 2 in 6 GenZ daters. Both sides have presented their argument, and
the conclusion shows two major reasons- one, Millennials are at a crossroads
where their age leaves little margin of error in relationships; second, these
daters bring more emotional depth to dating than any other. Adar, a 30-year-old
professor from Bangalore, said, "Yes, age factors in, but I would like to
point out we were like this even when we were younger. We have seen the slow
period with no instant gratifications and also the fast era- we can spot red
flags just like the GenZs, but our emotional depth drives us to find greens in
people rather than reds."
Decline of toxic trends
QuackQuack's recent
survey comes with a dose of positive news: according to more than 28% of GenZs
and 33% of Millennials from Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities, there's a steady decline
in toxic trends as compared to the last five years. Awareness around these
behaviors and the decision to not settle for less has led to more daters opting
for intentional interactions, which, in turn, ushered in the healthy dating
era.
Evolution of Love Language
While 31% of Millennial
daters between 30 and 35 shared they still love a well-worded text message to
express their feelings, GenZs have moved on to emojis and memes. But
interestingly, 2 in 5 Millennials below 30 are catching up to the new love
language. Anvita (28) from Mumbai said, "Somewhere, between all these GenZ
and Millennial differences, we have the same goal. We all want to say the right
thing and say it in the right way."
