Conservatives vs. Liberals in Love

Dating sites such as RedStateDate.com and BlueStateDate.com aim to attract users who place a priority on finding a love interest with similar political views.

Conservatives and liberals tend to look for different things when dating. However, when trying to attract a date, people often avoid advertising their political leanings. They’re more likely to reveal their weight or height than something so controversial such as the fact they’re a staunch conservative or liberal.

The helpful table below lays out the existing research on the differences between liberals and conservatives when dating.

Attractive Characteristics
Conservatives	Liberals
More likely to be males	Better educated
Less likely to be a racial or ethnic minority	Younger
Same average income levels
Less accepting of dissiminalarity	Less likely to have been married
Want a person with same relationship status	Less likely to have children
Men more likely to want to date a female of own race	Men who identify as liberal and atheist tend to have slightly higher IQs – because smarter people tend to exhibit social values and preferences that go against the grain
Men with higher upper body strength more likely to be conservative	Men with low upper-body strength more likely to put own self interest aside and support a welfare state
Female conservatives tend to favor more muscular men	Female liberals tend to prefer thinner, more linear male bodies
Conservatives more open to dating someone with different political views	When available women outnumber available men, women are set free of the home and values shift toward liberalism.
In general, more orderly, conventional, and better organized	In general, more open-minded, creative, curious, and novelty seeking
Tend to seek emotional control and cognitive closure (in regards to humor)	More comfortable with abandoned self expression and thought processes (in regards to humor)

Other findings:

• Few individuals were willing to express a definitive political preference. Of those that listed politics as an interest, the majority — 57 percent — reported that their politics were “middle of the road.”
• Women were 8 percent less likely to report being interested in politics.
• A higher income, education, and degree of civil engagement (i.e., volunteerism) increased the likelihood of listing politics as an interest.
• Older daters and those with higher education levels were more willing to express a definitive political preference, such as “very liberal” or “ultra conservative.”

For a little more conservative versus liberal fun, check out:

• Infographic on the different dietary preferences of the two groups
• Differences in conservative versus liberal consumer and buying habits – for example, conservatives are more likely to reach for name brands whereas liberals go for the cheaper, generic versions.
• Differences in beer choices. Conservatives like domestic beers versus foreign imports.

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  From the SmartPlanet Blog

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