Being a liberal or a conservative could be a deal breaker when looking for love, according to author and online dating expert Julie Spira.
Starting relationships use to come down to other factors such as what school you attended, using drugs, distance and location and religion. Those proved were some of the most important things young people would look at when hunting for dates and love interest.
Not anymore. Politics is the number one issue among millennials when it comes to dating.
That’s something Spira focuses on in her book “Love in the Age of Trump.”
Spira maintains since Donald Trump was elected president, politics is prioritizing how people date.
“Singles now are more interested in having similar politics and talking about good politics,” Spria said.
Spira also contends that this is very unprecedented as people look for dates, pointing to a recent survey by the online dating website Plenty of Fish.
The survey examined the dating views of 2,000 singles across the nation and most of them–59 percent–say they won’t start talking to someone whose dating profile promotes a different political opinion. A majority of both parties–52 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats–insist they wouldn’t start a conversation with somebody who was their political opposite.An overwhelming majority of singles–84 percent–say that they find it’s best to openly discuss politics with their partner.
Can conservatives and liberals be happy dating each other? Spira says yes. She points out typical reasons for divorce include money, cheating and not enough together time. Very few people get divorced because of politics.
“If you can learn to allow the other person to have their own thoughts and opinions, to discuss without arguing, to stop trying to change their mind or convince them they’re wrong, you will get along just fine,” said Spira.
When it comes to dating, some experts admit that focusing on politics can be somewhat overrated.
“What happens in government will not, in the long run, determine the success or failure of your relationship. If you create a party loyalty test for all of your dates, you may end up walking away from someone who is a perfect match for you in every other way,” said Spira.
Contact Ed at Ed.Dean@FloridaDaily.com.