Adios to casual dating: Young Americans are seeking committed life partners to split bills with.
Quincy Yang, the co-CEO of dating app Coffee Meets Bagel, told Business Insider that money and economics are huge considerations for Gen Z when choosing a partner.
“It’s so hard to afford to buy a house, or any property,” Yang said, adding that a lot of younger people are staying at home with their parents. He said for older generations, it was more affordable to “live the American dream” of buying a home and starting a family.
“Now, you need dual incomes to afford just the median condo or house. You need to have a pretty good job; you can’t slack off too much,” he said.
Yang said the affordability crisis has affected dating. “There’s an incentive now to find a good partner who is financially stable and ambitious.”
Shn Juay, Yang’s co-CEO, said that this is evident in Gen Zers not being as into hookups as older generations.
“When you talk about dating apps, the first thing that comes to mind will be hookups,” she said. “But the Gen Zs are really more conscious about more real things in their life, they’re not into hookups. Unlike the previous generation, what they imagine of an ideal partner is very pragmatic.”
The CEOs said that daters should choose dealbreakers judiciously while finding a partner.
“You can always go for a higher degree, or you get promoted along the way, but not at age 28 years old, where everybody’s probably still really early in their career,” Juay told Business Insider.
Dual incomes are needed to achieve the American dream
Living in the US is more expensive than ever.
Housing costs have been rising faster than incomes over the last two decades, according to a June 2024 report by the US Treasury Department.
Grocery prices are not providing any relief. US food prices rose nearly 25% from 2020 to 2024, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.
The Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs on foreign goods this year has exacerbated this problem by forcing retailers like Walmart and Target to raise prices.
In this climate, living alone has become an unaffordable luxury for many Americans.
A Pew Research Center study released in January said more US adults are living with a partner. The study analyzed US Census Bureau data and found that the percentage of adults living without a partner decreased from 44% in 2019 to 42% in 2023.
Life costs more, so money is a priority for younger daters
So naturally, finances are a big priority for daters.
In November, the dating app, which has around 20 million users worldwide, conducted a survey of about 1,050 of its users in the US between the ages of 21 and 35. The respondents were working professionals who said they were either actively seeking a relationship or open to one.
The survey revealed that financial stability was a top priority for them, with 54% of the respondents listing it as such. Almost 60% labeled “ambition/drive” as a must-have in a potential partner, even more than having shared interests.
“While many are looking for someone to spend their life with, practical matters still reign supreme,” said Coffee Meets Bagel, which markets its app as “for serious daters.”
