Sugar daddy searches soaring: 48% spike in people looking to meet rich men online
The website Sugardaddie.com has seen a 48% rise in new UK members wanting to meet a sugar daddy, compared to the same period in 2021.
The online dating site, founded 20 years ago, describes itself as 'a high quality dating site for attractive single women and successful men who have financial security and confidence'.
A spokesperson from the site believes the sharp spike in interest could be due to the current cost of living crisis in the UK (Britain's inflation rate hit 9.1% in May, a new 40-year high).
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“With the cost of living on the rise and inflation threatening to go beyond the peak in May, Sugardaddie.com is seeing evidence that people are becoming more open-minded and inventive in their approach to retain and even improve their lifestyle,” said a spokesperson from the site.
Of course, while Sugardaddie.com is largely geared towards women looking to meet men, there are also several sites that cater to older women looking to meet younger men such as toyboywarehouse.com.
While the site always sees a glut of new memberships in the New Year period (a time when people are notoriously cash-strapped after Christmas) this continual growth has been consistent month on month this year. A spokesman for Sugardaddie.com said: “We always see an upturn in members joining around the New Year period, but this current growth trend is far higher than our predictions.”
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The site surveyed new members (who joined from March 2022 onwards) to understand more and the results reveal that financial security is a key factor when looking for a partner. “The results leave no question that people are joining to meet a successful person whose life circumstances are less affected by the current economic conditions. It’s recession-proof dating,” said the spokesperson.
Study findings
The research carried out by the website produced some fascinating results...
72% of people said they had experienced or are experiencing financial challenges as a result of inflation.
When asked why they joined, 68% of people who joined said they did so to find a partner with financial stability.
Asked if financial status before now had been important when looking for a partner, 87% said they would not normally prioritise the financial position of a potential partner but are doing so now because of the financial climate.
Other qualities still matter though with the usual suspects like sense of humour, honesty, ambition and independence all being high on people’s wish list. A staggering 87% of new members said a prosperous financial position mattered while 59% cited looks and attractiveness as most important.
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