Love by the Numbers
By Laura Schaefer
The statistics of romance tell a fascinating story about who is dating whom, how many of us are still single, and what to expect when love blossoms. From who pays for what to the age at which we march down the aisle, it can all be neatly summed up by numbers, some of which will definitely surprise you. Just think about it this way: Would you rather be the average or on the edges when it comes to love? See what you think as you read these facts and figures.
To call or not to call?
There is only a 1 in 8 chance that a first date will call you for a second date after 24 hours, revealed a survey by matchmakers It’s Just Lunch. But say you do like the person, then what? Here’s what a 2006 survey by Match.com revealed: On the ladies’ side, 49 percent of women never call or they expect the man to call first; 20 percent of women call two days later, while 15 percent call the next day. Of the guys, 45 percent call the next day, 32 percent call two days later, and 14 percent call three days later.
Date-night data
According to 41 percent of singles, Wednesday is the best day for a first date, and 46 percent of people surveyed by It’s Just Lunch say Italian is the cuisine of choice for first-date dinners.
Working on love?
Office romances are quite a gamble, it seems, according to data from the American Management Association of New York: You could end up married—or losing your footing work-wise. 44 percent of workplace romances lead to marriage, while 43 percent of women and 25 percent of men who had an office affair that ended badly reported their work suffered as a result.
From wink to real world
It takes an average of four weeks before Internet daters will arrange to meet off-line, says a 2005 study by Love.com... so don’t be put off if bantering emails don’t lead to a date right away.
Putting a price tag on romance
51 percent of American men spend over $100 monthly on dates, and 29 percent spend over $150, according to an It’s Just Lunch survey. What’s more, 68 percent of men treat on the first date. Now, nearly 2/3 of U.S. women spend less than $50 a month on dating, but the female of the species likely empties her pockets for Cupid in a different way, buying cosmetics and new clothes.
I’ll drink to that…in moderation
86 percent of American men and 91 percent of women agree that two alcoholic drinks is the maximum on a first date, say the folks who took an It’s Just Lunch poll, and one in five would refrain from drinking.
Who’s doing the dumping
So who is bringing down the ax when people part ways? 29 percent of men polled by eNation, a service of Market Facts, say that they were the one who called it quits, while 51 percent of women say they initiated their most recent split.
How you mend a broken heart…
36 percent of adults say they get over an ex by dating someone new, according to the same eNation survey. 22 percent drown their sorrows in alcohol. 15 percent say they go shopping—and a jet-setting 10 percent go on a vacation.
Single solidarity
As of 2004, Census Bureau reports revealed that there were 89 million single Americans who were divorced, widowed, or had always been single. That’s more than 40 percent of the 18-and-older population. In fact, on the average, Americans now spend more years of their adult lives single than married. This is due to the fact that many people are delaying the age at which they marry — most recently measured at a median of 25.8 for women and 27.4 for men; the highest on record — and many marriages don’t last forever… So being single hardly makes you odd man (or woman) out anymore!
Laura Schaefer is the author of Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor: The Best and Worst Personal Ads of All Time.
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