Love and politics: does it work?

The saying goes that you should never discuss sex, religion or politics in new company. But is this an outdated adage or an ever-relevant rule to stick by?

Considering the heated tempo of Australia’s current political landscape we decided to throw all social decorum out the window and ask our members the question; do political views affect partner choice?

First date conversation topics – is politics off the table?

With the votes all tallied, we discovered that members are surprisingly open to hearing about their partner’s political views. In fact, a whopping 65% of survey respondents said they wouldn’t be put-off by talk of politics on a first date, and 27% even said they would actively instigate political conversation to decipher their partner’s stance. This spells good news for singles that are keen to get an all-round insight into a prospective partner before investing time into a second or third date. But tread gently before you open the can of worms; 10%, told us that they would prefer to completely avoid the topic.

READ MORE: Understand the benefits of dating online with a verified dating agency.

Love and politics: are clashing political opinions a deal-breaker?

Considering the majority of people’s fairly laissez-faire attitude to love and politics, it’s easy to wander into the realm of conversation without first asking yourself; could you date someone with clashing political opinions? It’s an interesting question, considering one’s political leanings also tend to reflect one’s personal value systems, sense of social justice and wider global views. In an increasingly hostile political landscape, can a fervent Labour campaigner really be compatible with a stubborn Liberal supporter? Can a Greens member be besotted by someone from the Palmer United Party? Can a fan of the Australian Sex Party fall for a supporter of the Pirate Party?

The answer, it seems, is yes. In a landslide victory for bipartisanship, our EliteSingles members suggested that clashing political opinions are not necessarily a deal-breaker when it comes to a budding relationship. In saying that, however, it appears men may be the more tolerant sex when it comes to their partner holding diverging views. While just 34% of women said they’d be happy to clash politically, this figure rose to 54% for men, who said they see no problem with it even if their partner held a completely opposing political opinion.

Is politics a defining factor for partner choice? Study suggests there’s more to life.

Despite some difference in opinion regarding opposing political ideologies in a relationship, the truth is that in the scheme of things, Australian singles are far more concerned about other factors when it comes to partner choice. In fact, when participants were asked to rank the things they look for in a partner, politics was ranked 5th (out of 8 items) in terms of importance, instead favouring factors such as values, sense of humour and appearance. So it seems love and politics are not necessarily unwise bedfellows; only 1 in 4 told us that political opinions are particularly ‘important’ for love, while just 5% voted it as ‘vital’. Even a date’s culinary preference was indicated as a more important factor for compatibility than one’s political views.

So there you have it. Whether you’re for Liberal or Labour, Palmer or the Pirates, the vote is in: you can ratify a relationship without political consensus.

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