• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, March 6, 2006

More than one in 10 Web users--or 11 percent--use online dating sites, according to a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Among Web users who are single and seeking a relationship, that figure is far higher--74 percent--according to the study, "Online Dating," released Sunday.

The study, based on interviews and surveys of more than 3,000 U.S. adults between last September and December, concludes that online dating has lost much of its early stigma. But at the same time, the report states that most Web users believe online dating can be dangerous because it involves revealing personal information on the Internet.

Pew researchers also reported that online daters tend to be young and are likely to have jobs. Eighteen percent of online users between the ages of 18 and 29 have visited dating sites, compared to 11 percent in the 30-49 age group, 6 percent of the 50-64 range, and 3 percent of those age 65 and older.

An additional finding was that social attitudes of online daters were, in some respects, more liberal than their less adventurous counterparts. For instance, 28 percent of online daters said they supported gay marriage, compared to 17 percent of all Americans. Twenty-seven percent of online daters said they believed in "traditional gender roles," compared to 33 percent of all Americans.