Internet dating is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, a survey from online matchmaking service Parship shows.

According to Parship, there's now a 50:50 chance that any single person you know is using the net to find love.

In 2007, 7.8 million single Britons used some form of online dating service to find romance, compared to the 5.4 million who used a mixture of offline and online services in 2005.

If many British singles still prefer the more casual approach, with over one third (39 per cent) ready to sit back and wait for that special person to come along by chance, internet dating is now far more than a niche activity.

In the last 12 months, 52 per cent of British men and 48 per cent of women have used the internet to find a date, compared to 2005 figures of 36 per cent for men and 34 per cent for women.

Dating expert Dr Victoria Lukats: "The last five years have seen a huge rise in the popularity of internet dating sites and much of the stigma of using the internet to meet people has disappeared."

What's more, 53 per cent of singles (59 per cent of men and 46 per cent of women) say they intend to use the net to meet someone in the future, with figures rising to 65 per cent for 36 to 40 year olds who say they intend to log on to find love in 2008.

Nearly one third of singles (29 per cent) believe it's a great way of finding love (as opposed to a casual fling), and nearly two thirds of singles (57 per cent) say it's socially acceptable, even if 25 per cent of people in a relationship would beg to differ.

Tony Blin Stoyle, Parship's country manager for both the UK and Ireland, said: "UK singles, particularly those between 30 to 40, the fastest-growing group of online daters, recognise that as they get older and their social networks become smaller, they need to maximise their opportunities in order to meet a partner."

Around 13,000 people were polled in 13 European countries for Parship's singles survey, which determined that three out of four of UK singles haven't had a serious relationship in more than 12 months, while half have been without anyone special for more than three years.

Of the British singles logging on to find love, men dated four different women over a 12-month period and women clocked up three dates.

Dr Victoria Lukats, psychiatrist and dating expert for Parship, said: "Provided people choose an internet dating site that helps them to meet like-minded people, it can be a great way of meeting someone special.

"With the busy lives that people lead today the old saying 'love only comes along when you least expect it' is at best outdated. The internet now allows single people to be much more proactive in finding a relationship.

"The last five years have seen a huge rise in the popularity of internet dating sites and much of the stigma of using the internet to meet people has disappeared. Most people will have heard of friends or colleagues meeting their partner online, making it even more socially acceptable."

The article Find your perfect partner online originally appeared on 999 Today