Take a Chance on Love

IT’S A RAT RACE! THE SPRINT TO FIND ‘THE ONE’ MEANS 1 IN 4 ARE DATING MULTIPLE PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME

• A quarter (26%) of 16-34 year olds date multiple people at the same time
• A third (30%) have returned to an ex – a tenth (9%) date a friend’s ex or sibling
• A third (30%) remain in a relationship as they feel there is no one else out there for them
• A fifth (19%) of men would sleep with someone else if they wouldn’t get caught
• A fifth (18%) have sex within a week – a quarter (23%) meet the parents within a month
• A tenth (11%) date someone new within two weeks of a relationship ending

August 2018 – With Love Island already confirming 24,000 applicants for next year’s show, the nation has proved the lengths they are willing to go to in order to find love and perhaps suggesting that traditional methods are becoming outdated. New research has today revealed that Brits are working themselves into a frenzy in mad rush to find that person they believe to be ‘The One.’

According to a survey of 2,000 people across the country, commissioned by bookmaker Party Casino, a fifth (18%) of Brits are simultaneously dating multiple people, with a quarter (26%) of 16-34 year olds trying their luck with more than one person in a bid to hit the jackpot. The research has revealed a fifth (18%) of Brits date someone new within three weeks of ending a serious relationship and a quarter (26%) get ‘back on the horse’ in less than a month. It appears very few Brits are taking the time for self-reflection or to decide what they’re looking for in their next relationship such is the pressure they feel to being constantly dating.

Finding ‘The One’

The rise of apps like Tinder, Bumble and Happn have sparked a common debate as to whether traditional dating is in danger of dying out. Indeed, the research has revealed that your friendship circle (44%) is the most popular route to finding a date, followed by nights out (42%). These are both considerably ahead of dating apps, which are used by only a third (31%) of people.

However, when looking at only 16-34 year olds, singletons are now as likely to look for love on dating apps (40%) as they are in a nightclub, bar or typical social setting (41%). Social media profiles, such as Instagram and Facebook, are just behind with over a third (36%) of Brits now sliding into DMs. While friends continue to be the most popular route (48%), there is a massive shift towards new modes of dating as communication platforms change.

Nevertheless, some cultures remain intact such as chivalry. While splitting the bill (44%) is most common practice on a date, the research has revealed that two-thirds of men (62%) would be happy to pay for everything. This is ten times more than women (6%) who are twice as likely to expect their date to pay for the entire bill (13%). It is also clear that the onus remains with men to chase, with only a fifth (20%) of men not actively looking for a date compared to a quarter (27%) of women. Some things don’t change!

Old Flames & Workplace Games

Interestingly, there is a notable difference in wanting to return to an old flame and trying our hands in the office. A third (34%) of women have actively looked to date an ex, compared to just a quarter (26%) of men. On the other hand, men are much happier to date colleagues. A quarter of men (27%) actively look for love in the workplace, compared to just a fifth (19%) of women.

While dating a colleague or an ex used to be seen as big no-no, clearly any caution is now thrown to the wind when it comes to be being single or not. Even more so, a tenth (9%) admit they have dated a friend’s ex or sibling and 1 in 12 (8%) men confess they’ve split up with a partner to pursue their friend. It seems there are now very few boundaries to finding The One and the traditional dating rules have gone out the window.

Slow down! You (men) are moving too quickly!

Moving at the right pace during dating can be the difference between a long-term relationship and being thrown onto the pile of exes. With a first kiss being fairly common practice, it won’t be a big surprise to find that two-thirds (62%) of singletons kiss their date within the first week. However, the rest can be a minefield of acting too soon or risk showing disinterest. Fortunately, the research has revealed the green lights to make your move and the red flags to avoid.

The rush to develop a relationship means that a fifth (18%) of Brits have had sex less than a week after meeting their date. However, the research has revealed that men are far keener than women, with a quarter (26%) of men looking for sex within 7 days compared to just a tenth (11%) of women. This is something to be mindful of considering a third (33%) of women have split up with someone because their date pursued sex too soon.

What is perhaps more surprising is how much more quickly men want to accelerate areas of the relationships which stereotypical rom-coms would have you believe should be driven by women. A quarter (27%) of men want their date to meet their parents within a month, though the average woman wants to date for five months before meeting the parents. A third (31%) of men want to go on holiday together within three months, though the average woman would like to date eight months before going abroad as a couple. Indeed, just a fifth (19%) of women would want to meet the parents within a month and only a quarter (22%) would consider a holiday within three months.

The research has found that a third of men want to move in together within six months (29%) and get married within a year (32%). However, this is a one-way ticket to being dumped. The research reveals the average woman would want to wait 16 months before considering moving in with someone and 26 months to consider getting married. A quarter (23%) admit they would split up with their partner if they wanted to move in together too soon, and a third (30%) would split if their partner wanted to get married too soon. Don’t pay so much attention to the rom-coms!

Stick or twist: the relationship conundrum

With the modern dating scene reminiscent of a peloton in the Tour De France, there is pressure to remain in a relationship once you find a compatible partner unless you want to re-enter the race. Amazingly, a third (33%) of women admit they have stayed with someone simply because they’re worried whether they would find someone else. Men, on the other hand, have a much greater care-free attitude, with a tenth (9%) happy to date someone new within a week of suffering heartbreak and over a third (37%) waiting less than a month to move onto the next partner.

This cavalier attitude is perhaps highlighted by the chances that men are comfortable taking in a relationship. For instance, a fifth (19%) of men admitted they would kiss someone else if they thought they wouldn’t get caught, compared to only a tenth (11%) of women. Similarly, twice as many men (19%) than women (8%) confessed they would sleep with someone else if they thought they could get away with it. This is a mighty roll of the dice, considering two-thirds (63%) of women say they would split up with their partner if they kissed someone else and three-quarters (77%) are adamant they’d dump them if they found out they had sex with someone else. On the other hand, men are far more willing to forgive and forget, with less than half (42%) splitting up if their partner kissed someone and just two-thirds (66%) saying they’d dump them if they slept with someone else.

The research has revealed that an increasing amount of people are actively looking for new dating opportunities, while still in a serious relationship and before they have broken up with their partner. Indeed, a tenth (9%) admit they would go on a date someone else and 1 in 12 (8%) would even go as far as having a second relationship. Men are twice as likely to go on a date with someone else (12% – 7%) and have a second relationship (10% – 6%) as women. Playing with fire and inviting trouble!

In a league of their own

The South West is the UK’s home of cheaters. Given the opportunity and if they feel they wouldn’t get caught, a quarter (24%) would text someone else, a sixth (16%) would kiss someone else and a tenth (10%) would even have a second relationship – more than anywhere else in the UK. This wouldn’t stand in the North East, who are the strongest on their feet across the country. More than a third (39%) would break up with their partner if they text someone else, compared to a national average of only a quarter (28%), and they’re understandably more adamant from there. Two-thirds (63%) would split over a kiss and 81% would break up if they had sex with someone else. This is compared to only half (53%) for a kiss and three-quarters (72%) for sex across the UK.

London is often accused of operating within a different set of rules as the rest of the UK and that’s definitely the case when it comes to dating. A quarter (26%) of Londoners date two or three people at the same time, higher than anywhere around the UK and twice the national average (14%). They’re also much more likely to jump back into dating after a serious relationship. A quarter (26%) of Londoners are dating someone new within three weeks and a third (36%) within a month, compared to the overall average of a fifth (18%) and a quarter (26%) respectively. However, they do move considerably slower than the rest of the country. Less than half (46%) kiss their date within a week and only a quarter (26%) have sex within two weeks. In contrast, for example, within a week in the North East, two-thirds (67%) have kissed and a quarter (24%) have had sex.

David Winter, Marketing Manager at PartyCasino, said: “With reality TV shows like Love Island and dating apps becoming increasingly popular, the research has revealed that they have rewritten the dating rules and there now appears to be no boundaries to what people will do to find love.

We’re seeing the incredible lengths that people are going to be in a relationship and how quickly they’re getting back on the horse after a serious break up. It’s amazing that a quarter of Brits are now dating multiple people at the same time, yet a third are still ending up going back to their ex – clearly dating apps aren’t as reliable as everyone seems to think, or maybe we just don’t know what we want in a partner!”