More than half of the respondents to a mainland survey on love say they have confidence in their ability to find life partners and friends through social networking sites, according to the poll's organiser.
Dating website Yeeyoo.com quizzed more than 100,000 people in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou last month and in June on their online dating habits and attitudes.
'In all, 77.5 per cent of the respondents agreed that social networking sites would create more chances for them to meet the opposite sex,' the survey report said.
When asked why they would choose online platforms as a way to find love, most respondents either said it was because online communication was 'more convenient' or it offered more 'chances' than traditional methods.
Websites like Yeeyoo.com allow members to collect and share profiles as well as participate in online chats and other match-making services. Ordinary membership is usually free, but VIP privileges can cost about 13 yuan per month.
One 28-year-old Yeeyoo user from Liaoning province said the service had allowed him to come into contact with a wider range of prospective partners.
'I have met five or six ideal women online since the beginning of this year,' he said.