Predicting and Explaining the Use of Online Dating Sites: Exploring the Relevance of an Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour.

The use of online dating sites (ODS) has grown exponentially, with diminutive theoretical justification to understand the influences on engagement. The present study sought to observe the importance of psychosocial factors in determining intentions to use ODS and frequent ODS use. The study tested the validity of an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model, incorporating the addition of perceived usefulness (PU), as well as trust, mood and safety, which were subsequent themes from the interviews. Eight interviews sought to empirically ascertain unidentified motivations to use ODS, through manifest content analysis, in order to inform questions in the online questionnaire. Participants (N=140) completed measures assessing the extended TPB constructs. Regression analysis found attitude, subjective norm (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and PU explained 18% of the variance in predicting online dating intention. SN and PBC were found to be significant positive predictors of intention. In addition, safety and mood explained 5% of the variance, with safety positively predicting and mood negatively predicting intention to date online