For Singaporean civil servant Clare*, finding a suitable lifelong partner has been an uphill battle. Swiping on dating apps soon became a chore after multiple unsuccessful first dates, so when the government launched its own platform, the 32-year-old was all for it.
“It’s like ‘Why not?’, and I think it does have a few screening procedures so it might save you some trouble like having to deal with impersonators or people who do not match with their advertised profiles,” said Clare, who requested not to use her real name.
Singapore launched dating platform FirstDate last month, as the city state grapples with a record-low fertility rate. While the platform has drawn criticism online for its limited eligibility range, observers say it is a good way to encourage first meetings for potential couples.
FirstDate is being piloted among government employees aged 21 to 35 by GovTech, which told local media there was no decision yet to expand the initiative beyond the public sector. The government agency has not provided figures on how many users in the sector meet its present criteria for the app.