Using your phone during a date is a turn-off, feminism is a turn-on, and Millennials are less interested in sex than Boomers -- those are some of the key findings from the seventh annual Singles in America study carried out by Match.
The world's largest relationship company released its findings on Monday after carrying out the nation's largest, most comprehensive annual survey of single people living in the US.
The survey highlighted some of the trends in the current dating scene, in particular how technology and social media are impacting romance for better and for worse.
Almost one in six singles (15%) reported feeling addicted to the process of looking for a date, with Millennials a whopping 125% more likely to say they feel addicted to dating than older generations.
And when it comes to finding a date, online is still proving popular with 53% of single people reporting that they have created a dating profile. 40% of singles have also dated someone they met online, compared to just 25% meeting a first date through a friend.
And whichever way you are finding your dates, perhaps unsurprisingly your online personality matters -- 42% of singles judge a date first by their social media posts, with 42% also saying they judge by their photos. Thirty-nine percent judge grammar, 37% their teeth and smile, and 35% their outfit.
A more unexpected finding however is that the current rise in feminism is also giving your dating life a boost, with many men reporting that they like dating a feminist. Fifty-nine percent of single men think that feminism "has changed the dating rules for the better," saying that dating is now safer (55%), more enjoyable (54%), and easier (49%), while 57% of women also reported that the rise of gender equality "makes me feel more empowered in my dating life (57%)."
Seventy-one percent of men also find it attractive when a woman offers to take charge of her half of the bill, however 74% of women say they only offer to pay because they don't want to feel obligated for anything, such as a hug, kiss or a second date.
Single men are also overwhelmingly in favor of women initiating the first kiss (95%), as well as initiating sex for the first time (93%). Ninety-five percent also like it when a woman asks for their phone number, and almost as many when she is the first to call after a good first date (94%).
However the hopes and expectations do not meet the reality, with just 29% of women initiating the first kiss, 23% initiating sex for the first time, and just 13% asking a guy for his phone number.
You might be able to increase your chances of things going further however if you avoid the top five first date phone taboos: 75% of singles are turned off if you answer your phone without offering any explanation while on a date; 66% are turned off if you text; 58% don't want you to place your phone on the table face up; 57% are upset if you read a text during a date; and 41% think you're being rude if you take your phone with you to the bathroom or outside.
If your date does go well, 35% of single men and 18% of single women say that casual sex can be exciting, and 29% of men and 15% of women say a one-night-stand can be the best sex. However 19% of both sexes say it can be the worst, with Millennials 40% more likely than those of other generations to believe that an emotional connection makes sex better, as well as being the least likely generation to have cheated on a partner.
And once you have met that special someone, how do you know? Well despite the rise in technology, both men and women agree that more traditional moments indicate signs of falling in love including: caring for them when they are sick (87%); attending a family event as a couple (83%); mentioning them to your friends (82%); vacationing together (79%); and mentioning them to your parents (76%) -- and perhaps future in-laws.
Match's Singles in America study was conducted in December 2016, and includes survey responses from a demographically representative sample of 5,509 single men and women, ages 18 to 70+ years.
More details on the findings can be found online at .