LoveGeist 2010: Has The Recession Given Birth To A New Kind Of Dater?

Contributed by: ElyseRomano on Saturday, December 11 2010 @ 09:21 am

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1967: The dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

2010: The dawning of the Age of the Pragmatic.

Who is the Pragmatic, you ask?

According to the LoveGeist Report, the pragmatic romantic is a new kind of dater, aged 25-40, who has "suffered at the hands of the economic downturn" and has "become, by necessity, much more practical in their approach to love, adopting a...more pragmatic attitude to the search for a relationship."

In my last review of the 2010 LoveGeist Report, we talked about the effects the recession has had on modern dating, effects that have had the greatest impact on the 25-40 consumer age group. And it's not only their relationships that have suffered:

  • 45% of the 25-34 year old consumers say that the state of the housing market has a direct impact on their personal financial security.
  • Over 30% of UK consumers expect that they will have to help their children get on the property ladder.
  • Only a third of 25-34 year olds feel satisfied with their homes (a fraction that is much lower than any other lifestage, according to the survey executed by the Future Foundation).
  • More than 25% of 25-34 year olds have borrowed money to pay for everyday items, and 20% have had to borrow money for a big event like a wedding.
  • 70% of people in this age group believe that they will have to decrease their spending in all areas (a number that, once again, is higher than the number for any other age group).

In addition to financial pressure, 25-40 year old consumers are feeling the strain of constantly being pressed for time. Balancing career, social life, family, hobbies, etc, is tricky at the best of times, but now:

  • Over 70% of 25-34 year olds report that the stresses of modern life mean that people are less happy now than they used to be.
  • 67% of the 25-44 year old bracket say that they are under time pressure every day.
  • 54% of the 25-40 year olds polled by the LoveGeist Report say that they do not dedicate enough time to finding love.

Out of this struggle, the Pragmatic was born.

Pragmatic daters scored lower than any other age group in the LoveGeist Report when it came to romance, in addition to being less likely to personally consider themselves romantic (28% called themselves romantic, while 36% of daters age 41 and over labeled themselves romantic). Other factors that influenced the birth of the Pragmatic dater are "the modern mindset of control, and female empowerment in particular." Daters in their 20s and 30s, according to relationship expert Kate Taylor, expect to be in control of every aspect of their lives - career, home, finances - which is "putting pressure on the more traditional signs of love and romance." Consider chivalry, Taylor suggests: "Men would be chivalrous...but [many] have been burned by bad experiences. Every man can tell a story about the time he opened a door for a girl and she said, 'I can open it myself, thank you!' Nowadays they don't know what to do for the best.'"

Fortunately, LoveGeist research shows, the practical perspective of the Pragmatics has not eradicated the modern dater's need for love, and the warmth, stability, and emotional security that go with it. The vast majority of contemporary daters (96%) are searching for a long-term partner who makes them feel secure, and many are willing to alter the amount of time they spend at work (43%), reprioritize their career (33%), or relocate (47%) to find The One.

For more information on this dating service you can read our Match.com UK review.

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