Singles Should Go Green, Build Houses for the Poor and Become Socially- Conscious to Achieve a 'Summer of Love'

SAN FRANCISCO, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixty-four percent of singles say they'd like to know about a prospective date's social values as they consider compatibility. Nearly seven in 10 say a potential romantic prospect should be in sync on a social issue, such as the environment or racial and religious tolerance, or at least be socially conscious and active. To mark the 40th anniversary of the "Summer of Love," the summer of 1967 when thousands of young people from all over the world united in San Francisco for a new social experience celebrating free love, music and counterculture, Engage (http://www.engage.com/) has documented singles' social consciousness.

Engage provides singles with a naturally fun and social way to meet and explore attraction by inviting friends and family to make playful introductions on their behalf. The Engage "Social Engagement" survey of more than 500 single adults shows that 58 percent say they are active with social causes including: environmentalism (24 percent); education (18 percent); and homelessness and poverty (10 percent), among others.

"A social consciousness is sexy," said Relationship Expert Trish McDermott, a leading authority on online dating and Chief Matchmaker for Engage. "Singles are likely to attract more potential partners if they demonstrate they are keen on being green, or care about issues that may transcend their own lives such as poverty or homelessness," McDermott added. Engage members demonstrate their altruism every day as they use the site's Play Matchmaker(TM) features to help singles connect.

Forty-five percent of singles (more women than men; 49 percent versus 39 percent) say they are interested in pursuing social activism on a date. The preferred date activities most often cited by singles include building a home (21 percent); providing food for a shelter or soup kitchen (18 percent); and reading to children (17 percent).

Pop culture and current affairs may be driving the added interest in social values. "There are many celebrities who are serving as social crusaders and setting positive examples of social consciousness," added McDermott. Social activism among couples is viewed favorably too. When asked which couples make the most interesting socially active duo, more than one quarter of respondents named Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, followed by Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins (18 percent); and Bill and Melinda Gates (17 percent).

A 21st Century Summer of Love

Four decades after the Summer of Love, the Engage survey indicates that singles still attach importance to the same values seen as significant in the 1960s: 25 percent of singles cited individualism and another 25 percent said freedom of expression was the 1960 value to which they most relate, followed by peace and love, which was cited by 20 percent of singles. When asked how they would most like to celebrate the anniversary of the historic Summer of Love, nearly half say they want to find a meaningful romantic relationship.

Engage is the Internet's first site to combine the many possibilities of online dating with a more low-pressured environment to help singles connect through mutual friends. This entirely new, real world-feeling dating experience gives singles a natural way to discover attraction. Collaboration on Engage is driven through personal references, playful introductions, collaborative profiles and community-driven accountability for appropriate behavior. As a community, Engage has a built-in system of social checks and balances that attracts well-behaved people to either explore attraction or use the site's Play Matchmaker features for others. At its core Engage is about authenticity-real people helping each other find relationships that work in the real world.

2007 can be the summer when singles not only find lasting love, but also help others connect, taking part in a latter-day social experience and cultural movement on Engage.com.

About Engage

Founded by Suneet Wadhwa (co-founder of Snapfish.com) and entrepreneur Karen Wallace, and co-developed and endorsed by noted relationship experts Trish McDermott, former VP of Match.com, and Dr. Robert Epstein, former Editor in Chief of Psychology Today, Engage (http://www.engage.com/) is the world's first online relationship community where singles have fun connecting naturally through their friends. On Engage you won't have to rely on impersonal computer algorithms, scientific tests, or fake friend social networks that don't lead to real world meetings. Romantic connections happen naturally -- with just a little help from you, people you know, people they know and human intuition. Engage, a San Francisco Bay Area company, is backed by Advanced Technology Ventures, Revolution Ventures and The Founders Fund.