Those who do not have an internet connection are less likely to be in a relationship, according to a recent to be presented at the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

The report with the catchy title “Meeting Online: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary” was penned by Michael Rosenfeld, an associate professor of sociology at Stanford University. He said that his research suggests that Internet access has an important role to play in helping Americans find mates.

More than 82.2 percent of participants who had Internet access at home also had a spouse or romantic partner, compared to a 62.8-percent partnership rate for adults who did not have Internet access.

Using data from Wave I of the How Couples Meet and Stay Together (HCMST) survey, a nationally representative survey of 4,002 adults, of whom 3,009 had a spouse or romantic partner. The study found that people are more likely to be in romantic relationships if they have Internet access in their homes, and that Internet is the one social arena that is unambiguously gaining importance over time as a place where couples meet.

The study also found that the Internet is especially important for finding potential partners in groups where the supply is small or difficult to identify such as in the gay, lesbian, and middle-aged heterosexual communities.