New App Builds Upon Success of its Popular Bumble BFF Mode
New Australian research reveals that Gen Z women champion the idea of friends as soulmates, with 58% believing that you can be “in love” platonically
Three in four Gen Z women in Australia want to make new friends
SYDNEY, Australia (July 27, 2023) – Today, Bumble Inc. announced the launch of Bumble For Friends, a standalone app for finding friends. The app creates a new way for people to grow their friendship circles by discovering meaningful, kind, and fun connections in their local area that is separate from the Bumble dating app.
The new app follows the successful BFF mode that’s been available within the Bumble app since 2016, when it expanded upon the company’s dating offering to enable members to find friends and meet up locally.
Bumble For Friends is expected to be especially popular among Gen Z, who have seen their social lives disrupted profoundly by the pandemic, more so than other generations. New nationwide research from Bumble* reveals that Gen Z women in Australia are recognising the power and intimacy of friendship, with 58% believing that you can be “in love” platonically. Yet 37% of Gen Z women in Australia say they feel lonely every week and 75% say they actively want to make new friends.
The Bumble Gen Z Friendship Research found that 35% of Gen Zs in Australia (those aged 18 – 26) say that they feel less socially connected and that their ability to meet people in real life has worsened since the pandemic, while 73% of Gen Zs agree that friends are one of the main factors to having a happy and healthy life.
Lucille McCart, Bumble’s APAC Communications Director, said: “At Bumble we have always believed that relationships are the foundation of a happy and healthy life. While many people know us as being in the business of romance, friendship is just as important to our mission, which is why we are so excited by the launch of the Bumble For Friends app. The recent Bumble Gen Z Friendship Research has shown us that the majority of Gen Zs in Australia want to make new friends, but they don’t know where to meet people and are intimidated by approaching people IRL. This is where we step in to make it easier, less awkward, and more fun. It has been wonderful to see how apps like Bumble have revolutionised the way people fall in love romantically and removed the stigma around meeting people online. We can’t wait to see how Bumble For Friends has a similar impact on our ability to connect socially and build platonic love in a time when so many of us feel disconnected.”
When it comes to making friends online, 53% of Gen Zs in Australia report having made friends online, mostly through social media or gaming platforms – much higher than the national average of 46%. Of the Gen Zs that have made friends online, 46% said those friendships are as rewarding as those made in real life, but 34% said they weren’t friendships that could be taken IRL (for reasons including they don’t live closeby). Bumble For Friends is well-positioned to connect people online to make friendships that can be taken offline.
The Bumble Gen Z Friendship Research also found:
LOCKDOWNS AND LONELINESS
Because of the pandemic, Gen Z missed out on many right-of-passage experiences throughout their formative years. Remote learning and working from home, as well as the closure of bars and nightclubs, plus travel restrictions, limited their social lives and prevented them from seeing the world.
- 35% of Gen Z say that they feel less socially connected and that their ability to meet people in real life has worsened since the pandemic
- 63% agree that remote learning, working or studying is the main reason why they feel less socially connected and why they find it harder to meet people in real life
GENERATION DISCONNECT
There are barriers to making new friends at all ages. But for Gen Z, this is particularly profound at a time when historically they would be the most socially connected – their early twenties.
- 73% of Gen Z agree that friends are one of the main factors to having a happy and healthy life
- 69% say that they are finding it harder to make friends as they get older
- 43% say that they find it intimidating to approach people in person and this is preventing them from making new friends – this is especially true for Gen Z women (54%). A further 40% fear being judged, while 37% don’t know where to meet people who are also looking for friends
- One third (32%) feel lonely every week – this is even higher in Gen Z women at 37%
SHIPPING PLATONIC LOVE
Charlotte York said it first, maybe our friends can be our soulmates. After all, through life’s highs and lows, our platonic relationships are often the most enduring and strongest of them all. For Gen Z Australians, platonic love is recognised increasingly as being as profound and meaningful as romantic love.
- 84% of Gen Z believe that platonic relationships are just as important, or even more important, than romantic relationships
- 60% believe what makes a good friendship is being comfortable to talk about anything together and 62% say that platonic relationships are crucial to happiness
- Two in three (66%) say making new friends has positively affected their mental health and wellbeing
- Over half (51%) believe that you can be ‘in love’ platonically – this is even higher for Gen Z women at 58%
- One in four (25%) say their true soulmate is a platonic relationship
- For Gen Z women, when asked about how their friendships with other women make them feel, 49% said they could be their true self with them, compared to just 33% of Gen Z men who said the same about their friendships with other men
HOW TO LOSE FRI
