At OkCupid, we support our users’ right to choose. That’s why we ask thousands of questions so you can choose the type of person you want to match with, whether that means someone who’s looking for something long-term or short-term, or who is pro-choice or not. It’s also why we’re excited to announce our brand-new I’m Pro-Choice badge that users who want to show their support of abortion access can add to their profile. Every user in the US who answers ‘yes’ to the question ‘‘Do you want to add the Pro-Choice badge to your profile demonstrating your support of reproductive rights?’ will get the badge, and for everyone who does, OkCupid is donating $1 to Planned Parenthood (up to $50,000).
Given the new, radical Texas law that essentially bans abortion access, it’s more important than ever to take a stand and we’ve found that our users want to be able to choose to filter for dates who are pro-choice more than they ever have before. This summer, there has been an 18% increase in ‘pro-choice’ on user profiles in the US compared to last. In the past six months, there has been a 4% increase in users saying they do not think Planned Parenthood should be defunded by the government; today, less than 9% of OkCupid daters who answered the question said they believed the government should “defund” Planned Parenthood. Additionally, 88% of people who answered the question ‘Are you pro-choice?’ said ‘yes’ (split by gender, its 87% of men are and 89% of women).
When polling the people who this affects the most, we found similar results. On OkCupid, 87% of men and 95% of women in Texas also answered ‘yes’ to ‘Are you pro-choice?’ and mentions of ‘Planned Parenthood supporter’ in Texas profiles have more than doubled this summer compared to last.
Clearly, daters are interested in signaling their support of abortion access and reproductive rights to potential matches, and the new I’m Pro-Choice profile badge will make it that much easier. Daters also want to filter matches by whether or not they’re pro-choice; after all, people with ‘pro choice’ in their profile are nearly 2x more likely to get a reply than those who don’t. Therefore, the I’m Pro-Choice profile badge will be accompanied by a Pro-Choice Stack which acts as a filter when you’re looking for dates; it will only be accessible to users with the I’m Pro-Choice badge and will only feature other daters who’ve opted into it as well. Because if you only want to match with people who are pro-choice, well, that’s your choice! We expect daters in the Pro-Choice Stack to increase their likes up to 10x; when we released the #ISupportPP profile badge in support of Planned Parenthood several years ago, men with the badge got 9x more likes than those who didn’t add it to their profile.
So what does it mean if your match has the I’m Pro-Choice profile badge? Well, beyond the fact that they believe a person should be able to choose when and if to have a child (yay!), it can signal a few things. People on OkCupid who are pro-choice are also:
- 8% more likely to be looking for their next relationship to last a few years
- 9% more likely to have reported they are vaccinated with the I’m Vaccinated profile badge
- 10% more likely to be registered to vote
- 12% more likely to pay extra for guac
- 13% more likely to think a match’s sense of humor is very important
- 37% more likely to be concerned about climate change
- Over 2x more likely to believe in sparks in a relationship
- Nearly 4x more likely to consider themselves a feminist
The I’m Pro-Choice profile badge will go live for OkCupid users in the US on Wednesday, and the Pro-Choice Stack will become available soon after.
*Nash, Elizabeth, and Naide, Sonia. “State Policy Trends at Midyear 2021: Already the Worst Legislative Year Ever for U.S. Abortion Rights,” New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2021. Accessed on September 12, 2021
**Up to $50,000.
Download OkCupid to find a pro-choice date now.
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