( CNN ) -- If eHarmony or Match.com features more prominently in your `` how we met '' story than a smoky nightclub or the produce aisle , you 're probably not so reluctant to admit it . Six out of 10 Americans now believe dating sites are a good way to meet people , according to a new report from the Pew Research Center 's Internet and American Life Project . That 's up from 44 % who felt that way in 2005 , the last time Pew conducted a similar survey . And barely two out of every 10 people ( 21 % ) still feel that `` people who use online dating sites are desperate . '' Eight years ago , almost 30 % thought so . `` General public attitudes toward online dating have become much more positive in recent years , and social networking sites are now playing a prominent role when it comes to navigating and documenting romantic relationships , '' reads a summary of Pew 's report . The upside of online dating . According to the survey , conducted with 2,252 adults in April and May , 11 % of Internet users , and 38 % of those who said they 're currently `` single and looking , '' have used online dating sites or apps . Among them , 66 % said they went on a date as a result . And nearly one in four ( 23 % ) said they actually met a spouse or other long-term partner through the sites . In 2005 , 43 % who tried online sites actually went on a date . But 17 % said they found long-term love , not terribly lower than the recent number . How technology has changed romance . But just because it 's more common and accepted does n't mean Internet mingling ( Christian or otherwise ) has worked for everyone . More than half the respondents who have tried it ( 54 % ) said that someone they 'd met had seriously misrepresented themselves in their profiles and more than one out of four ( 28 % ) said they 'd been contacted through one of the sites `` in a way that made them feel harassed or uncomfortable . '' Why traditional dating is dead . That number shoots up to 42 % of women who have used dating sites , compared with 17 % of men . And maybe it 's not all that surprising , but a growing number of people have used the Internet for intimate contact of a less formal nature . Nearly one out of four respondents said they 've gone online to check up on former partners , and a similar number said they 've flirted with someone on the Web . Young people between 18 and 24 are the most Web-flirtatious . About half ( 47 % ) said they 've flirted from behind a keyboard . The survey was conducted through telephone interviews in English and Spanish . It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points for all respondents and plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for Internet users . Why it 's really possible to fall in love online .
I asked more than 2,000 people about dating on the Internet . Two out of 10 think people who use dating sites are ` ` desperate '' But opinions about online dating have gotten more positive over time . " : Half of Web users are people who ` ` seriously misrepresented '' themselves .