Singles in America Update

Match.com  |  August 1, 2018

Match, the world's largest relationship company, recently released findings from its eighth annual Singles in America study — the nation’s largest, most comprehensive annual survey of 5,000+ single people living in the U.S.

Dating Advice from Women

At a time when there’s increased focus to respecting boundaries and paying closer attention to what people want, new data explores how the modern single can become a more conscientious dater.

How women want to feel on a first date: The number one way women want to feel on a date is comfortable (79%), followed by happy (35%), and liked (27%).

What women say is appropriate on a first date: On a great first date, 94% of women want their date to compliment her appearance, to be waiting for her when she arrives (90%), to hug her (82%), kiss her on the cheek (71%), and insist on paying the bill (91% of women approve of this, however 45% think it’s appropriate to split the bill).

What women say is NOT OK on a first date: Checking your phone regularly on the first date is the number turn-off for women with only one in 10 women thinking this is appropriate, while one in four men think this is okay. Other turnoffs include:

• Drink number three. More than 80% of women think it’s not appropriate to have more than two drinks on a first date.
• Being rude to wait staff — 38% of women find this a turn-off.
• Arriving more than 15 minutes late (one in four men think this is okay first date behavior).
• Asking a woman for a bite of her food/drink — 58% of women don’t like this.

The Trump Effect

Love Trumps Politics: Even in this intensely charged political climate, singles put love first. The overwhelming majority of singles (72%) would cross party lines to date. And only 10% of singles view being a Republican as a deal breaker while only 5% regard Democrats as a no-go.

How’d you vote? It doesn’t matter: In 2017 singles were more apathetic about a partner’s voting habits than they were in 2015, before President Donald Trump was elected. This includes a potential partner who:

• Did not have an opinion on key issues. Only 13% of men and 19% of women regarded this as a deal breaker in 2017; while in 2015, 32% of men and 37% of women regarded it as a deal breaker.
• Did not register to vote. Only 12% of men and 19% of women regarded this as a deal breaker in 2017, while in 2015, 21% of men and 29% of women thought this was a deal breaker.
• Did not know who was running: Only 23% of men and 35% of women regarded this as a deal breaker in 2017, while in 2015, 34% of men and 39% of women regarded this as a deal breaker.

Political civility … coping with different views: In 2017, the largest percent of singles (45%) said they would try to understand the other’s perspective; 26% of singles changed the subject; or politely told their date they didn’t agree (41%). Only 5% of singles would leave immediately.

Don’t ask, do tell: 54% of singles think the current political climate makes it more important to find out about a potential partner’s overall political views. But when it comes to the first date, less than a quarter (23%) are willing to ask. Only 16% of men and 18% of women think the current political climate makes them more likely to talk politics on the first date. Most avoid hot button topics — suggesting that, for singles, love trumps politics.