New Delhi: Don’t be surprised if your date this Valentine’s Day sends you a message less than an hour after a successful first meeting. Fifty-five percent of Indian men and 45% women are doing this. The statistic comes from a Tinder survey of 1,500 singles—aged between 18 and 34—in major Indian cities.

In fact, Indian men believe they are getting more romantic.

According to the Tinder survey, conducted in the last three months of 2018, 89% of single men believe in true love and would choose to express their feelings over a traditional phone call. Similarly, 90% of single women are all for true love, but 51% would be more comfortable conveying their feelings over a WhatsApp text.

Clearly, true love isn’t just an idea for the movies. It’s real: 9 out of 10 Indian single men and women believe in it.

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“There is a significant evolution that continues to happen in dating as a culture, as well as online dating in particular," says Taru Kapoor, general manager, Tinder India.

“We’ve seen something specific in the younger lot, which is 18-25 year-olds. Anybody who is in this demographic today has essentially grown up with the internet and is a digital native. They are very comfortable with using technology for many things, including meeting people. For them it is a natural extension," she adds.

The idea of second dates is also getting a big yes from Indian singles.

According to data from OkCupid, 48% men believe in second chances when it comes to romantic relationships and feel that it may work out in another time or place. This data was gathered through user responses (an average of over 200,000 respondents in India) to questions on the app, which helps users match better with potential partners.

“A portion of these questions are designed to understand what kind of love and partner people on the app are looking for. When looked at as a whole, these responses are very much a reflection of the changing dating scenario and mindset in the country," Melissa Hobley, chief marketing officer at OkCupid, says in an emailed response.

“For instance, 77% of men think that they are the most romantic person they know compared to 65% of women on OkCupid. Now, who would have thought that."

Based on the Tinder numbers, 35% men believe it is their responsibility to organize the second date, while 47% women believe it doesn’t really matter who sets up the second meeting. Thinking of an ideal setting for the date? 93% men, according to OkCupid's data, think long walks on the beach are "so romantic"; 91% of women support the idea.

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