Shoppers of queer dating spaces have noticed a trend: fewer people claiming the ‘top’ role. New analysis of dating‑app profiles looks at who labels themselves top, bottom or versatile, where the gaps live, and why this matters for people dating within their own age range.

Essential Takeaways

  • Key finding: Younger men who have sex with men are less likely to identify as tops than older men, according to dating‑app data.
  • Numbers in brief: Among profiles that specified a role, about two in ten identified as tops, just under four in ten as bottoms, and roughly the same as versatile.
  • Age pattern: Tops rise with age while bottoms fall; versatility is more common among younger users.
  • What it feels like: For daters, that can translate to fewer perceived “masc” or penetrative partners in one’s immediate age group , a frustrating, tight‑feeling market.
  • Not the whole story: The study only used men who have sex with men on one platform, so broader LGBTQ+ patterns aren’t covered.

Why this “shortage” suddenly feels real , and a little unfair

If you’ve ever scrolled and felt like there simply aren’t enough tops, you’re not alone; the feeling has become an online meme and a real gripe in dating chats. The sensory bit: people describe it as swiping through a sea of similar profiles, the same energy, the same preferences. According to reporting in The Journal of Sex Research and coverage by science outlets, researchers pulled data from a popular gay dating app to check whether the anecdote matched the numbers. What they found confirms a pattern , but one tied strongly to age.

The data: how researchers measured roles on a dating app

Researchers analysed roughly 150,000 new accounts created over two years and focused on about 40,000 that explicitly picked a sexual role beyond “unspecified.” Users chose top, bottom, versatile, or “not into penetration.” The headline numbers look stark , tops were the smallest single group , yet the team drilled down by age and saw clear life‑stage shifts. This wasn’t a survey of every queer person, but an honest attempt to read behaviour from real profiles rather than self‑selected polling.

Age matters: tops rise as bottoms fall

One of the clearest trends was a generational split. People in their twenties were far more likely to identify as bottoms and as versatile than older users; by the thirties and forties, self‑reported tops increase. That suggests what some have called a “top life cycle” rather than an absolute shortage: preferences appear to shift with time, experience, or perhaps changing relationship expectations. For daters, the takeaway is practical , if you constrain your pool by age, you may indeed face a bottleneck.

Why younger people pick versatility or bottom more often

Researchers and commentators theorise a few reasons. Younger generations are often more open to fluid labels and less wedded to rigid roles, which makes versatile a comfortable middle ground. Cultural shifts around masculinity , including a move away from equating masculinity with only one sexual role , also play a part. And, of course, app culture and aesthetics can skew perceptions: people may be present but not signalling the look or label that a seeker expects.

Limits of the study , and how to read it without panicking

This isn’t proof of a global queer crisis. The analysis used a single platform and focused on men who have sex with men, so sapphic dynamics or people outside app ecosystems aren’t represented. Self‑labelling on profiles can be strategic or playful, too, and sexual behaviour doesn’t always match stated preferences. The research does, however, offer a useful nudge: rethink who you’re searching for and how you interpret profiles. Broaden filters, be curious about versatility, and remember labels can change.

Practical tips for daters navigating the market

If you’re feeling squeezed, try a few small shifts. Widen your age range if it suits you , the pool of tops may grow in older brackets. Ask direct questions early about preferences rather than assuming labels tell the whole story. Consider messaging people who identify as versatile; they often enjoy both roles. And if aesthetics matter, be explicit about what you mean by “top” so you don’t miss people who use different language.

It's a small change in approach that can make your search feel less like a shortage and more like choice.

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