Life

Here's How Many Women Would Date A Trump Supporter

by Natalia Lusinski

American singles want to dump Trump and are feeling the Bern more and more, at least according to a recent PlentyOfFish (POF) study of over 4,000 U.S. singles over 18 years old. When it comes to dating and politics, would you date someone with a different political affiliation? I think this is a very heated topic. People often avoid talking politics on the first date, or for several dates. If they do discuss it, are daters affected by someone’s political beliefs? Do they peace-out and leave the date? Get into a heated political debate? Or smile, accept it (or pretend to), and move on to another topic?

And a recent Match survey of over 5,000 singles in the U.S. found that talking politics on the first date makes for better odds that you’ll have a second one — by 91 percent. OK so you talk about it… But then do you agree on political points? Or agree to disagree? What if you end up marrying someone who’s not a Democrat like you?

James Carville (Democrat) and Mary Matalin (Republican) are an example of a couple like this — they work as political consultants for opposing parties. “We have different ways of looking at politics,” Carville said. “No doubt about that. But Jews and Catholics who get married probably have a different way of looking at God. It’s just not a deal-breaker.” Matalin said they don’t talk politics at home. Maybe that’s the secret?

Contrasts in fundamental beliefs and strong morals can demonstrate incompatibility between two people,” Kate MacLean, Resident Dating Expert and PR Coordinator at PlentyOfFish, tells Bustle. “However; that being said, as long as both partners are respectful toward each other's core values, they can still have a happy and healthy relationship.”

I’m a Democrat who’s dated some Republicans. Though politics and political issues would come up in the relationships, I didn’t rule the person out based on their political beliefs. Instead, I focused on how they treated me. However, that said, dating fellow Democrats does make things easier. And it turns out that it does make a difference to POF daters, too. The DL? Love lives can be affected by political views. Here's what POF's research found.

1. POF Users Dump Trump

Only one-third of women surveyed said they'd be open to dating someone who supports Donald Trump’s run for presidency. This means that male Trump supporters are losing access to 40 percent of their dating pool by supporting him.

And who is the average Trump supporter on POF anyway? Research found that he’s Caucasian, in his early 50s with a slightly higher-than-average income, and slightly lower-than-average education. The study also revealed that singles with a high school education are more than twice as likely to be a Trump supporter than their more educated counterparts. Caucasian men who support Trump are also less than half as likely to send a message to someone of a different ethnicity than non-supporters.

2. People Aren't Open To Dating Someone Of A Different Political Party

As far as if POF users are picky when it comes to dating someone outside of their political affiliation, 25 percent of respondents will not date someone who has drastically different political views than their own, and 31 percent are undecided if they could make it work.

“Political beliefs are personal, and it is no surprise to us that 25 percent of survey respondents would not be open to dating someone who had drastically different political beliefs than their own,” says MacLean. But, male Donald Trump supporters are more open to the idea, with 58 percent willing to date a Democrat, despite only 19 percent of Democrat women willing to give them their (dating) vote.

3. Singles On POF Feel The Bern

Bernie Sanders is the most favored candidate among singles polled. Not a shocker, right, as he seems to get more and more popular every day. Remember, there’s a dating site dedicated solely to Bernie supporters. And who doesn’t like to see his snaps on Snapchat?

4. POF Users Also Feel Their Right To Vote

And POF users will make their votes count, since over 71 percent of those surveyed plan to vote in the upcoming election. “We were pleased to see the presidential campaign is important to a strong majority of single Americans, with over 71 percent of participants eager to vote in the upcoming election,” says MacLean. Furthermore, the study found that many POF singles are Independent — just 22 percent identifying as Republican and 31 percent as Democrat.

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Images: Fotolia; Giphy; PlentyOfFish