'People aren't emotionally connected': Czech students on today's dating scene

Half of Czech students aren’t dating right now, and when they find love, it’s most likely in the classroom. But here’s the modern twist: one in five students is meeting their partner online, making it the second most popular way to spark a romance, according to a new survey.

According to a July 2024 survey of 1,400 students aged 15 to 26 by GTS Alive, a company that administers ISIC student cards, one in five students met their partner online, making it the second most common way to start a relationship.

The survey revealed that many students believe poor communication is a common issue in relationships, with many interactions taking place through mobile messaging.

One respondent cited “bad communication and frequent miscommunication,” saying people are not so emotionally connected. “Since it’s so easy...to see the relationships of strangers on the Internet, [people] compare themselves to them and then expect the impossible from their partners.”

Some described relationships as being rushed or centered around appearances, particularly on Instagram, though others acknowledged solid and healthy relationships among their peers.

Fewer than half of the students surveyed are in a relationship. Still, more than 70 percent of those who describe their partnership as “very serious,” and another 25 percent see it as “quite serious.” Among single students, half wish to date, while over a quarter are content with being single.

Trust and effective communication were ranked as the most important factors in a relationship, with physical attraction and future plans deemed less crucial. Despite this, 70 percent of students consider sex important, with fewer than three percent seeing it as unimportant.

The majority of students view infidelity strictly, with 30 percent stating they would never forgive it and another 40 percent saying they would probably not forgive it. Casual encounters are also frowned upon, with 65 percent of students having a negative opinion of one-night stands.

Marriage remains a valued institution among young people, with six in 10 students seeing it positively and only four percent viewing it negatively.

When it comes to online dating, Tinder is the most popular app, with a quarter of students having tried it, although only four percent use it regularly. Other platforms, such as Badoo and traditional dating sites like Štěstí.cz, are also used, but newer apps like Bumble remain relatively unpopular among students in the Czech Republic.

The survey also found that students met their partners via friends (17.5 percent) or during extracurricular activities (17 percent). The remaining respondents said they found love in other ways (5 percent), at work (4.3 percent), or traveling. (3 percent).