LOVE SURVEY: 92% Singaporeans say the top attractive quality in someone they seek a relationship with is their ability to manage money well

A new survey shows that more than nine out of 10 Singaporeans feel that how well a person handles money determines how attractive they are as a long-term partner.

Yes, money matters when it comes to love.

The survey, carried out by Coffee Meets Bagel, a dating app, together with Syfe, an investment platform, is aptly called Love Meets Money.

Last June, the survey polled 1,363 respondents concerning attitudes toward money, with slightly less than half of the respondents (47 per cent) in the 25 to 34-year-old age group.

And when it comes to first dates, perspectives may be changing as well. Only two out of every five — both male and female respondents said that men should foot the bill for the first date, while 33 per cent said first dates should go Dutch. Fewer than one per cent of the respondents said that women should pay, however.

When asked how soon should couples talk about money, many of the respondents said this should never be done on the first date. But the younger ones surveyed seem more flexible when it comes to this area.

Over fifty per cent of respondents older than 35 called it a no-no, but for the younger respondents, only 40 per cent had this response.

Nearly a third of the respondents (32 per cent) said the money talk needs to happen before the relationship is defined, but 31 per cent believe that waiting until things are serious to discuss finances is all right.

But nearly everyone (98 per cent) agreed that waiting until marriage or living together is too late to have a serious discussion about money.

When it comes to ranking the criteria for what matters most in a relationship, interestingly, what career men choose appears to affect how women feel about them as a partner.

Women actually ranked career as number two in this aspect, while for men, it does not matter nearly as much.

Men and women chose the same criteria for their number one, however, and it’s on values.

Women said that appearance and hobbies/interests round out their three.

For men, appearance ranked second, and then hobbies/interests ranked third.

Even more, interestingly, the survey showed that about 60 per cent of female respondents said they would prefer for their partners to have a higher salary than they do, while 70 per cent of the males said that for them, it doesn’t matter.

Less than a quarter of the men surveyed (23 per cent) said they prefer for their partners to earn the same amount of money.

The chief marketing officer of Syfe, Mr Sebastian Sieber, said: “The findings have shown the crucial role that money plays when meeting potential life partners, and the importance for individuals to be better equipped with knowledge on personal finances and investing.” /TISG

‘Lunch Actually’ under fire again for allegedly not providing dating services as advertised