Political apathy can be a huge dating dealbreaker, research shows

Your political beliefs may have more consequence on your love life than you think, as research is increasingly proving.

New research from dating app Tinder and British charity My Life My Say found that a third of UK singles (aged 18-25) think it's important for the person they're dating to be registered to vote. The study also found 21 percent of singles have ended a relationship or would do so if their significant other was not "politically engaged".

The study also found that 60 percent of young singles strongly feel that their partners should respect their personal views. When it comes to women, 65 percent agreed to this statement.

These statistics confirm a rise in politics entering the bedroom. Studies conducted in the last few years have shown that political beliefs, polarization, and even political apathy — or the refusal to participate in politics — mean a lot to young daters. In 2023, Bumble's dating predictions for the following year included the importance of political values: one in four people on Bumble believe that their partner should be engaged in political or social causes. Bumble additionally found that 33 percent of women said it's a turn off if someone they're dating isn't aware of current issues.

There's also a widening gap between the political views of young men and women. Research from Tinder, conducted in 2021, found that 71 percent of Gen-Z daters say dating someone with opposing political views is a dealbreaker. Separately, a recent Gallup poll found that only 25 percent of U.S. men between the ages of 18 and 29 identify as political liberal; meanwhile, 40 percent of women within that age range do. Another survey from 2023, conducted by Change Research, echoed this sentiment with its overarching findings: young women and transgender and nonbinary people lean much further left than men. This set of research took into consideration modern political issues in the U.S., including Donald Trump's presidency and the overturning of Roe v Wade.

While the issue of politics and dating is certainly more nuanced than numbers, the figures at hand do represent both an ideological divide and a growing conversation to be had.