When deciding whether to date someone, three in ten American singles look up the potential mate's career information to get an idea of how much they make and determine financial stability. That's the findings of a study by Elevate's Center for the New Middle Class.
“We know that finances play a key but complicated role in relationships, and sought to understand better how finance and credit influence decisions early on in the pursuit for a romantic partner,” said CNMC Executive Director Jonathan Walker in a statement.
The study also found that single men with credit scores of 700 and above (labeled "prime") have a higher likelihood of using more paid online dating platforms than men below 700 (labeled "non-prime"), according to CNMC. It's an indicator these men would invest more in their search for love. Prime and non-prime women tend to use about the same number of online platforms.
Non-prime men and women were not as satisfied with their results from online dating and set-ups than prime men and women, the study found.
Regardless of credit score, five factors were considered most important in finding a mate:
- Trust
- Honesty
- Communication
- Compatibility
- Sexual chemistry
Non-prime respondents tended to emphasize sexual chemistry as "important" or "very important" slightly more than prime respondents.
Other findings:
- More than half of singles discuss finances within the first three months of dating.
- Women value financial stability more than men.
- More than 60 percent of women say they'd be hesitant to date someone unemployed.
- Non-prime men are less likely than any other group to say financial stability is essential in selecting a partner.
- Non-prime women are most likely to say they’ve had a relationship fail due to their partner’s finances.
- The most popular online dating platform is Tinder followed by Match, Bumble, and eHarmony.
The study, which can be read here, questioned 708 single adults between the ages of 18 and 44.
