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[The U.S.] A "volunteer x dating" service born out of local love and free thinking

  • Release date: Jul 04, 2019
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While the U.S. leads the world in trends, the lifestyles and consumption habits of the "Millennials" (the generation born between 1980 and early 2000), who are said to make up 30% of the population, and the trends that emerge from them continue to have a major impact on the world. There is a lot of information coming out every day about the trends of millennials in the U.S., but in this issue of VOICEjp, we would like to focus on one city that deserves attention. In the latest article published by U.S. News and World Report, "The Best Cities to Live in the U.S. 2019," it was mentioned that Austin, the capital of Texas, has been ranked number one for the third year in a row. In terms of population influx, it is said that on average, about 100 people a day are migrating to the city (KXAN-TV article). At the same time, Austin ranked first in the "Friendly" and "Clean" categories in a U.S. city-by-city insight study of millennials conducted by U.S. research firm The Langton Co. According to a 2018 report by the Brookings Institute think tank, Austin has the second highest percentage of millennials among U.S. cities, accounting for 27.2 percent of the population, compared to the national average of 23.4 percent. The growth rate of the millennial population from 2010 to 2015 also tripled to 14.4%, compared to the U.S. average of 4.7%, indicating that the population is steadily growing as more and more young people move to the city.

Why has Austin attracted so much attention from younger generations at this moment?
A locally based researcher analyzes the appeal of Austin, the trendiest city drawing Millennials, from three different perspectives.

A “volunteering × social connection” service born from local pride and free-spirited thinking

Launched in 2018, Swoovy is an Austin-born matching app that turns volunteering activities into opportunities to meet people, and it has been well received because it aligns closely with Austin’s local values. The app is free to use and partners with several local nonprofits, including the Central Texas Food Bank.


Users can browse various volunteer events and sign up for those that interest them. Participants are then grouped together, allowing them to work and share experiences side by side, naturally creating opportunities to connect with others. Starting from a shared interest in the same volunteer activity lowers the pressure, and even if a romantic connection doesn’t emerge, users still gain the satisfaction of contributing to society.


While major dating apps such as Tinder are typically built around one-on-one, romance-focused encounters, Swoovy offers a more relaxed, low-pressure environment and serves as a space for interaction that also has a positive impact on the local community.

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This article is co-authored by TNC Lifestyle Researcher (http://lifestyle.tenace.co.jp/) and Intage's Global Researcher.

Translated with AI Translator

  • TNCライフスタイル・リサーチャー

    Author profile
    TNC Lifestyle Researcher

    TNC Life style Researcher is a network of 600 Japanese women living in 100 regions in 70 countries around the world, run by TNC Inc. The knowledgeable lifestyle researchers in each country cut out the trends and the real voices of the consumers, which cannot be seen only in numbers. Based on this raw information, marketing members in Tokyo propose solutions or plan products to solve corporate issues. http://lifestyle.tenace.co.jp/

  • Intage Inc

    Editor profile
    Intage Inc.

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