Happy holidays? Singletons aren’t so sure…

Christmas time… It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?

Well perhaps not if you’re single – with 75% of singletons admitting that they feel lonelier over the holiday season than at other times.

And there’s more. 73% of single adults say they feel even more pressured to find a relationship over the holiday period than they normally do.

One thing’s for sure, then, plenty of us will have one thing at the top of our Christmas list this year: a date.

So as the mistletoe emerges and the Christmas parties begin, what hope is there for romance-seekers at this time of year? To find out, Flirtini surveyed 2,000 adults on all things dating and the holidays…

Dating at Xmas: under pressure?

Despite what the musicians might have told you (Beyoncé and Pussycat Dolls, we’re looking at you), there’s little to sing about when it comes to being single.

For every singleton who said they were not bothered about having a date this holiday season, another FIVE told us that they would much rather have someone by their side.

In total, 1 in 3 adults are entering the Christmas period actively on the lookout for someone to date.

We know, too, that single people feel under extra pressure to find someone to date at Christmas. But why is that?

In our response to our survey, 50% cited their family as the main source of pressure. After all, who hasn’t spent Christmas day batting off unwelcome enquiries about your love life?

Meanwhile, just over 1 in 4 respondents cited the social pressures of the holidays – namely that they were reluctant to go to parties and other events on their own.

16% said they were worried about not having enough money over Christmas, and 2% blamed the deluge of happy couples on social media and in seasonal rom-coms for making them feel pressured to date.

So if you’ve got a single relative at your Christmas table this year, perhaps opt for Die Hard over Love Actually.

Hopeful romantics?

As much as we might not like being single over the holidays, we can take comfort in knowing we’re not alone. But what are your chances of finding a date this Christmas?

Across our survey (which included single and non-single adults), 77% of people said they thought it was possible to find a date over the holidays.

Indeed more than 1 in 2 of us have found a date in a previous year – with 43% of all adults saying they’d be happy to do so again.

Where to find such a date? Well, our survey confirmed the popularity of one rather surprising option.

Nearly 60% of respondents confessed that they’d rekindled a fling with an old friend or childhood sweetheart whilst staying with their family over Christmas.

Meanwhile a further 10% said that, although they hadn’t gone on a date with an old friend just yet, they were keeping the option open for the future.

The single life at Xmas

So how will this year’s holidays look for singletons? One thing’s for sure: they will be less inclined to socialise than their loved-up peers.

75% of respondents said they had previously turned down social invitations over Christmas as they didn’t want to show up single.

That said, 25% of respondents took the opposite approach: telling us they were happy to brave a holiday party on their own.

And if you’re one of those concerned about looking single over Christmas, there is at least one option open to you: fake it until you make it.

Some 41% of us have previously asked a friend to act as our date during the holiday period, with another 28% saying they liked the idea.

When it comes to friendship duties, the majority of us are happy to oblige: with 53% saying that they had filled in as someone’s “fake date” for the holidays.

And rather than scrolling through the photos of happy couples on social media, why not try dating apps instead? According to our survey, it could prove to be a wise decision.

74% of respondents said they were more likely to use dating apps over Christmas, with the most popular reasons being to find someone to flirt with or to actively find a date.

So whether you’re looking for a romantic stroll on Boxing Day or a plus-one for the panto, you may well be in luck.

End of the road?

Unfortunately it isn't just the calendar year that comes to an end after Christmas; some relationships don't make it either.

In fact, 87% of us say we have ended a relationship in the run-up to the holidays, preferring to spend the Christmas break single.

Given the social pressures of the holidays, you can understand the temptation to get out before you end up snowed in together. But what reasons did our respondents give for dumping someone ahead of the holidays?

The most popular reason (35% of all respondents) was that they weren’t keen on their family meeting their date – and thus chose to end things rather than deal with the potential awkwardness.

Similarly, 19% of people said they had dumped someone as they didn’t want to meet that person’s family – and certainly not to be stuck with them for Christmas dinner.

More colourful reasons included not wanting to spend the extra money on presents (15%) and even hoping for the opportunity to meet someone hotter over the holidays (18%).

Still, judging by the enthusiasm of our singletons for some seasonal dating, anyone getting dumped will at least have plenty of options.

Methodology: To create this study, researchers from Flirtini surveyed 2,000 adults aged over 18 years old. The study includes participants of all genders and ethnicities.