Single Britons spend £1,350 on dating every year, poll suggests
People spend an average of £106 per date, survey finds
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Single Britons spend an average of £1,349 on dating every year, according to a survey.
Current daters will meet potential love interests up to 13 times a year, spending an average of £106.06 each time, the poll found.
The biggest cost is pre-date preparation, with men and women spending more than £60 on new outfits, make-up, waxing, manicures, and a hair-do.
On the date itself, a further £45.61 is spent on food, drink and entertainment.
The survey of 2,000 single adults by dating app Plenty of Fish also found daters spend up to 55 minutes getting ready for a date – and a proportion of that time is spent snooping the potential suitor online and checking out the security of the location.
Shannon Smith, a dating and relationship expert at Plenty of Fish, said: “As this research shows, going on a date isn’t just about the event itself – a huge amount of money and time goes into the planning and preparation.
“Purchasing tickets for events or activities is a big trend, not to mention that both ladies and gents like to turn up to a date feeling confident and looking their best.
“However, once on the date, a modest meal out or trip to the pub doesn’t have to cost the earth.”
The study found men spend more money on pre-date preparation – a hefty £74.07 compared to women spending £53.14.
Men are most likely to buy tickets for an experience for both parties to enjoy, a new shirt or a new pair of trousers. Women are more interested in buying perfume, and a new top and skirt, the suggest suggests.
Men spend almost double the amount of money on the date itself – an average of £62.59 in comparison to just £36.60 for women.
However, researchers found men cannot always afford to be so generous with their cash, as more than one in 10 admitted they have borrowed money to go on a date. One in 20 men have had their card declined when settling the bill.
But one in five said their generosity is because they worry their romantic interest would not enjoy a cheap date.
A further 14 per cent of men want to make a good impression on their loved one, while the same percentage are keen on showing they are financially stable.
But it emerged more than half of respondents claimed it does not matter how much is spent on a date, and 46 per cent believe cheap or free dates can be the best ones.
Almost nine in 10 adults survey by OnePoll agreed “chemistry” and conversation are far more important than the cost of a date.
Shannon Smith added: “While we can feel under pressure to sweep new love interests off their feet with lavish date ideas, it’s clear from our research that some of the simplest and cheapest activities can be the ones we enjoy the most.”
SWNS
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments