OurTime.com: Dating Priorities Change With Age

A lot changes as we get older, so it's no surprise that our dating habits change, too. OurTime.com, a popular dating site for mature singles, knows that the way we date when we're 20 is much different than the way we date when we're 50. And why shouldn't be? That's 30 extra years of experience - 30 more years of learning what you want, 30 more years of discovering what you don't want, 30 more years of heartbreak, and 30 more years of romance.

All that experience adds up to a much more knowledgeable dater, one who has a clear picture of Mr. or Mrs. Right. OurTime.com surveyed 2,200 singles to find out exactly how 50+ singles differed from their younger counterparts. Here's what they found:

• Religion is more important to younger singles. 70% of men and 59% of women over 55 said they're willing to date people of other faiths, compared to only 56% of singles in the 18-34 age range.
• Race is a different story. 2/3 of adults 18-34 said they're happy to date someone of a different race, compared to only 46% of adults 55+. Split by gender, 65% of men and 51% of women said they're open to interracial dating.
• Politics was a much closer race. 60% of mature singles and 66% of younger singles said they'd date outside party lines.
• Younger generations are more willing to snoop. I blame their familiarity with technology! 63% of people 18-34 said they think it's wrong to snoop through a significant others text messages, voicemails, and emails. The percentage rose as age rose: 60% of singles aged 35 to 44 and 75% of singles over 55 agreed that spying on an SO is a no-no.
• Opinion was split on cheating. Older men are more willing to give cheaters a second chance than older women. 53% of women said they wouldn't try to work things out with someone who was unfaithful, compared to just 35% of men. That's compared to 42% of adults overall.
• Appearances become less important with age. 68% of adults over 55 said they'd be willing to date someone they thought was less attractive, versus 59% of adults ages 18 to 34.
• Health, however, becomes more important. 64% of singles over age 55 said they would not date someone with health problems, so eat right, exercise regularly, and take your vitamins!
• Older singles might be more experimental than you think. 65% of the over 55 crowd are in support of dating more than one person at the same time. 41% of younger singles agreed, but the rest preferred to stick to monogamy.

To find out more about the dating site which conducted this survey you can read our OurTime.com review.