According to a new survey that was commissioned by Match.com, more than twice as many couples who married last year met through an online dating service than at a club or social event. This means that people who are looking to hook up for the long haul have a better chance of finding that special someone on a dating site than in their local watering hole.

The survey went on to show that 17 percent of those who married in the past three years met online. This makes it the third most frequent method of introduction. The only thing that ranked above online dating was meeting someone through a mutual acquaintance or at work or school.

Joe Tracy, who is a publisher of Online Dating Magazine, said that online dating is by now a preferred way for singles to find dates. She thinks that the stigma that has been attached to online dating has greatly decreased. Everyone knows someone who has done online dating, so people are less fearful of it.

The study was conducted by the research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey. Overall the study showed just how quickly online dating has revolutionized the way people find each other. Online dating has been around for less than two decades.

Susan Frohlick, who is a cultural anthropologist at the University of Manitoba, said that it does seem to have displaced all other forms of dating. She said that she would say that it’s been in the last five years that it has become hyper mainstream.

The survey even found that one in every five singles has dated someone that they met through an online dating site. It also claims that, among recently married people who met online, 30 percent initially made contact through Match.com.