Singapore’s Government Technology Agency (GovTech) is exploring a potential government-run dating service, according to surveys circulated to members of the public in April.
The proposed service, named Firstdate, was introduced in a survey sent via CrowdTask on 13 April, The Straits Times (ST) reported.
Source: CrowdTask website
It is aimed at singles below 35 years old, and would require users to complete a 10-minute questionnaire to receive matches based on shared interests and values.
Matched couples would also receive a free meal for their first date, selected from a curated list of restaurants.
Accounts would be verified using Singpass, with the platform promising,“We’ve got your first date covered. No fakes, no drama”.
This is not the first time GovTech has pushed for singles to use government technology to aid dating.
In Feb 2025, ahead of Valentine’s Day, it promoted seven digital services that those in Singapore can use to “enhance their relationship journey”.
Source: GovTech website
GovTech said that this dating service idea is “still at a very early, exploratory stage and nothing has been confirmed”, ST reported.
They added that such concepts often emerge from GovTech’s annual hackathon, where employees propose solutions to societal challenges.
“At any one time, there are hundreds of such explorations at various stages and most do not proceed beyond the concept or research phase,” a GovTech spokesperson said.
Source: Built Tech website
A follow-up survey on 27 April targeted singles aged 21 to 35, asking about their motivations and frustrations with dating.
It referenced common pain points such as “endless swiping” and “awkward ‘singles events’”, while testing alternative formats like:
According to ST, both surveys have since been removed from CrowdTask.
The exploration comes as Singapore grapples with declining birth rates.
The country’s preliminary resident total fertility rate (TFR) for 2025 was a historic low of 0.87, falling from 0.97 in 2024.
On Wednesday (29 April), the National Population and Talent Division announced a new workgroup to address the issue, with findings expected by early 2027.
Similarly, in Japan, which also continues to wrestle with its dwindling birth rate, one prefecture is hoping to kickstart romance by paying citizens ¥20,000 (S$159) to start using dating apps.
On 10 April, Kochi Prefecture launched a subsidy program for young adults to help find romance, according to Sankei News.
Source: Sankei News
The program aims to help young singles get partnered up and married.
Adults aged from 20 to 39 will be eligible to receive up to ¥20,000 from the government if they sign up for matchmaking applications that fit the criteria.
Digital matchmaking is already on the rise.
“In a 2021 survey of 2,848 singles, the National Population and Talent Division found that 1 in 3 respondents who were dating had met online — up from 1 in 10 a decade before,” Dr. Jean Liu told Void Deck by the Sciences Centre.
Dr Liu is the founder of Insights Bridge Consultancy and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Yale-NUS College and NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
Separately, a 2024 YouGov survey showed that 36% of Gen Z and 42% of millennials in Singapore have used dating apps.
Source: YouGov
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from District Sixtyfive and Built Tech website.