A majority of men want a romantic partner who is “more intellectual” than they are, according to a new study.
Polling company Research Now surveyed 5,600 single people of varying ages, ethnicities and incomes across the United States. They found that 87 per cent of men would want a partner who is smarter, more educated and makes more money than them. Only 43 per cent said they wanted someone who had a similar level of education to them.
A majority of men, 86 per cent, said they wanted “a confident and self-assured woman” and 58 per cent of men said they would date a woman “considerably taller” than they are.
Over half of the women surveyed said they would not be willing to financially support a partner. Despite recent research indicating that women who marry less educated men are at no greater risk of divorce than any other marriage, 61 per cent of female respondents said they would not date someone who is less intellectual than they are. In fact, 86 per cent said they wanted “a partner with the same level of intelligence”.
Attitudes to behaviour on social media were also surveyed. It revealed that 73 per cent of all singles surveyed believe that “airing emotional drama” on social media sites was off-putting in potential partners.
The study was done on behalf of dating website Match.com.
