What do Liberals and Conservatives Look for when it Comes to Dating?

A new study shows that despite political discrepancies, both liberals and conservatives are looking for similar things when it comes to online dating websites, according to new research co-authored by University of Miami political scientists Casey Klofstad. In fact, the study shows that both liberals and conservatives are looking for that special someone who is much like themselves.

A research team randomly sampled 2,944 profiles from a popular dating site that examined the dating preference of users who were identified as either liberal or conservative. The data allowed them to then compare the way each data described themselves based on a number of factors including race and ethnicity, religion and the desire to have children and what he or she would be looking for in their ideal date. The study shows that overall, daters want a partner that shares their same characteristics.

Klofstad said that the tendency to seek out partners that are similar to us helps to contribute to an increasing political divide between liberals and conservatives. "Parents pass their political preferences on to their children. So, if we are more easily able to find someone like ourselves by 'shopping' for a partner online, Internet dating could hasten this process of political polarization. Of course, this process would occur over generations, not overnight."

While the study shows that few individuals were willing to express a definite political preference, the majority of online daters, or 57 percent, reported their political feelings at the "middle of the road" rather than marking themselves as primarily liberal or conservative.

Background information via the study also showed that conservative daters are more likely to be males and are less likely to belong to a racial or ethnic minority group. Liberals tended to be younger, less likely to be married and less likely to have children. Liberal daters were also better-educated than conservatives (like THAT'S any shock). However, this does not translate into any disparages regarding income between the two groups.

So while the characteristics liberals or conservatives are looking for may be different, seeking certain characteristics in a partner is the same for both political groups--minus the exception that conservatives seem to be less accepting of dissimilarity.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Political Behavior.