SYDNEY, June 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
eHarmony study reveals country's top dating habits
- 3 in 4 Australians claim to go on boring dates
- Conversation and chemistry most important on first date
- 'Quick' coffee meet-up most popular date for women
- Nobody believes a female should pay for a date
Australia has revealed itself to be a land of boring daters, with a majority (77%) confessing to having watched the clock while out with a potential match, according to an independent study commissioned by leading online relationship site eHarmony.
The research also showed that Aussies generally favour 'safe' options like coffee or dinner and a movie as their top picks for a first date, despite 3 in 5 saying their dates would be more successful if they involved activities that both people enjoyed and could share a conversation around.
"What's interesting about this research is it shows that Australians don't follow their own advice. Despite a majority of people admitting their dates would be more successful if they were planned around shared interests or hobbies, only a quarter say they always do this. A shared interest or experience is important to generate conversation, which helps determine compatibility," says relationship expert Elly Taylor.
Seasonality impacts our dating habits, with 1 in 4 respondents saying their dating frequency won't rise until the mercury does and more than half of Australians (60.9%) say that planning exciting or interest-based dates can be more challenging during the colder months. Southern daters were the exception, with almost 1 in 10 (8.54%) Victorians saying they go on more dates during winter months.
According to the survey, the biggest barriers to dating creativity are time and money. Half of all Australians (50.4%) say finding dates that fit within their budget is the obstacle to planning interesting outings, while a quarter (24.8%) say it's finding time to plan. Budget constraints are most commonly felt amongst those aged 55-64 (58.6%), followed by 18-24 year olds (55.4%).
As for who should pay for a date, Australians are in a three-way tie: the asker, the man, or it should be split. Almost nobody, regardless of sex, age or location, believes a female should pay for a date.
However, Taylor says splashing out isn't necessarily the key to a successful date. "Two in five (37.6%) people define a 'boring' date as one that lacks conversation. You don't need to spend big to plan an activity based on your common interests, like a bike ride or bushwalk if you enjoy the outdoors or a visit to the farmers' market for foodies," she says.
The research showed that 1 in 4 (26.7%) Australians claims that they can usually tell if things are going to get serious after one date, and that a person's ability to tell if things will get serious after just one date increases after the age of 35.
"People joke that the first few dates are like an interview, with topics like careers, education, and even finances coming into play. While people shouldn't shy away from discussing these matters, direct questions can create unnecessary anxiety both for the person asking and answering them," says Taylor.
"Invitations to open up are best, as it provides someone the opportunity to respond with whatever aspect of their life they're most comfortable disclosing and leads to a more natural conversation."
Elly Taylor's top three questions to ask on a date are:
- Tell me about yourself
- Tell me more about your family/ friends/ work/ hobbies
- I'd like to know more about…
Note to editors: Elly Taylor is available to discuss this research, and provide her relationship and dating advice.
About eHarmony
eHarmony was created to give people a better chance at finding a successful long-term relationship. The service was founded by Dr. Neil Clark Warren, a clinical psychologist and marriage counsellor with more than three decades experience. A pioneer in using relationship science to match singles based on compatibility matching, eHarmony has been available in Australia for just over 5 years. In that time it has been responsible for over 11,000 marriages and invested nearly 40% of its resources into technology, product development and relationship science. The service is also available in the UK, US and Canada.
About this research
Survey conducted by Pure Profile between 24 and 29 April 2013 with 1,009 Australians aged 18 and over via online survey.
About Elly Taylor
Elly Taylor is a relationship counsellor, writer and speaker. Her passion is raising people's awareness of themselves and others to create healthy relationships, right from the beginning. Her first book Becoming Us, Loving, Learning and Growing Together, the Essential Relationship Guide for Parents was published by Harper Collins in 2011. Since then, Elly has been a regular commentator on relationship issues. She lives in Sydney with her fire-fighter husband, their three children and a getting-smaller-as-the-kids-get-bigger menagerie of pets.
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