For the Zoomer Generation, romance can come at a price — and a price tag, according to an Intuit survey of 1,500 American adults conducted in September, the New York Post reports.
Nearly one in three singles (31%) born between 1997 and 2012 admit to going on a date just for the free meal. The study found that money is increasingly shaping relationships, from date budgets to deciding who pays the bills.
Overall, 51% of Americans said they are seeing their partners less often because of economic issues, with the Zoomer generation suffering the most at 58%.
But many are rethinking what constitutes a “good” date, focusing on affordability and creativity.
“For the Zoomer generation, financial habits and ambitions are becoming part of the new language of love. “Money and financial security have become the main drivers of relationships because they represent stability,” said Ashley Ewald, a public policy student at Georgia Tech in her 20s.
According to a Deloitte survey released earlier this year, nearly half of millennials say they don’t feel financially secure.
Ewald said inflation and cost-of-living pressures have made creative, budget-friendly date nights more common, from dinners at home to working part-time together.
According to Intuit, nearly half of Americans say the optimal budget for a first date is $50 to $100.
However, money is often a barrier, according to Intuit. A third of Americans have ended a relationship over finances, and 44 percent of millennials say they would only date someone who makes more than they do.
A Hily survey found that more than half—57% of women and 63% of men—would stop dating someone who didn’t know how to manage money responsibly. About a third of women and 37% of men even find frugality attractive.
For many young couples, financial independence has become the ultimate form of security. More than half, Intuit found, keep separate accounts, preferring autonomy over shared control, and they don’t go around having “money conversations.”