Summer is in full swing, and Canadian singles are going into heat this season.
The online dating platform eharmony released its Gen Z Deep Dive Dating Diaries study, and it shows that this generation plans to get sweaty this summer without too much commitment.
According to the study, 53% of singles reported going on more dates in the summer, and when it comes to trends, 35% of people are looking for "situationships" while 31% are looking to have a "hot girl summer."
So if you're feeling a bit hot under the collar this season, you're not the only one.
Summer dating trends
Eharmony graphic.
Courtesy of eharmony
Dating trends this summer are all about casual dating, confidence and sex.
This summer, singles are most likely to embrace the following: "situationships" (35%), "hot girl summer" (31%), "soft launch" (24%), "sex boom" (22%), "vacationship" (19%), and "the relationship effect" (18%).
Eharmony relationship expert Laurel House defines "situationships" as "vague, undefined and casual" relationships, adding that sex drives warm up with the weather so summer love (or "SumLuv," as House calls it) is snaring singles.
"Inhibitions are down, energy is up, and the heat is on… which can lead to quick and easy SumLuv flings that create the feeling of stronger, faster, love-like feelings because of the environment and attitude innate to time of year and activities we engage in," says House.
"During a time of SumFun, we know 'what happens on vacation (or vacation mindset) stays on vacation,' so we allow ourselves to be a little wilder than normal."
However, House adds that your summer situationships could turn into something more.
"Just because a romance starts as SumLuv doesn't mean it can't turn into SumMore — a short-term fling that becomes something more enduring. If an enduring relationship is desired, the chances can be high so long as the mindset shifts. And with that shift comes a shift in the actions, conversations, and intentions."
"Hot girl summer," on the other hand, is a state of mind. According to the study, having a hot girl summer is all about empowerment and confidence.
"Soft launching" someone means casually showing you have a partner on social media without "hard launching" them on your feed with a tagged pic — think of a subtle Instagram story with their hand or drink in the photo.
A "vacationship" is when you start seeing someone while on vacation and there's a limited amount of time, while the "sex boom" is a focus on physical intimacy, according to the study.
The least popular trend, "the relationship effect," is when you are so wrapped up in your partner that you spend less time with family and friends.
Sex trends between generations
Eharmony graphic.
Courtesy of eharmony
According to the study, Gen Z daters are taking more risks in the bedroom.
Twenty percent of these young singles are willing to have unprotected sex with a new partner, and 57% are comfortable dating more than one person at a time.
Millennials aren't far behind, with 19% likely to have unprotected sex with someone new but only 34% okay with dating more than one person at a time.
When it comes to which generation is having more sex, Gen Z is taking the cake.
"Gen Z daters appear to prioritize sex more than millennials, as new data from eharmony shows that 80% of Gen Z Canadians in relationships report having sex at least once a week, compared to 70% of millennials," says House.
"However, when it comes to their openness in the bedroom, millennial and Gen Z daters are actually quite similar."
49% of Gen Z singles and 47% of millennial singles have used more than six sex positions so far this year, according to the study, and both generations have thrown out the three-date rule.
If you don't know what the three-date rule is, it's when you wait for three dates before you have sex with a new partner, but according to the study, 60% of all singles across generations would date someone seriously even if they had sex on the first date.
Despite how sexually liberal the generations are feeling this summer, there is still a stigma around sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with 63% of singles saying they wouldn't date someone with an STI. (Although the unprotected sex millennials and Gen Z are having may not be helping transmission rates.)
When it comes to where the different generations are picking up their sex moves, Canadian Gen Z singles aren't using porn like other generations.
"Canadian Gen Z singles are slightly less likely to utilize porn when it comes to learning new things to try during sex (30%) than millennials (32%) and Gen X (38%)."
Instead of looking at porn, Gen Z is learning about sex through social media, with 45% of Gen Z singles using social media as a platform to learn, expand and spice up their sex lives, according to House.
What do generations priortize in sex?
Eharmony graphic.
Courtesy of eharmony
Before having sex, 31% of millennials wanted to have an emotional connection compared to 24% of Gen Z singles.
However, Gen Z singles care more than millennials about feeling respected, with 17% of Gen Z singles surveyed wanting to feel respected beforehand compared to just 8% of millennials.
Regarding feeling physical safety, Gen Z singles were more concerned than millennials, with 15% of Gen Z respondents saying they wanted to feel safe beforehand and 13% of millennials.
When it comes to where those steamy nights are headed, 21% of Gen Z singles wanted to know if there was potential for a long-term relationship before jumping into bed compared to just 15% of millennials.
Social media & Gen Z dating
Eharmony graphic.
Courtesy of eharmony
An overwhelming majority of Gen Z singles are finding love online, with 68% of singles reporting they've met at least half of their romantic partners online — but with all the time spent on social media, they are running into a few online turnoffs.
According to the eharmony data, these are the biggest online turnoffs for Gen Z, so you may want to keep them in mind the next time you slide into someone's DMs or craft a dating profile.
The most common turnoffs are bad taste in memes (43%), being an influencer (41%), not having an active social media presence (33%), using GIFs regularly (32%) and having gone viral (31%).
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.