Rpamlt

Study

Rich People are More Likely to Discuss Past Relationships On a First Date

C. Price

Written by: C. Price

C. Price

C. Price is part of DatingAdvice.com's content team. She writes advice articles, how-to guides, and studies — all relating to dating, relationships, love, sex, and more.

Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

Discuss This! Discuss This!
Advertiser Disclosure

This is an exclusive study conducted by DatingAdvice.com, which surveyed respondents over the course of three weeks to reflect an accurate representation of the U.S. population.


For many people, one of the biggest taboos when out on a first date is discussing past relationships.
While most people try to avoid such topics, some groups seem to be less bothered by the practice.
In a recent DatingAdvice.com study, wealthier Americans proved most likely to approve of talking about breakups and exes on a first date.
Those earning between $100,000 and $124,999 a year were 44 percent more likely to do so than those earning less than $25,000 annually.
With 41 percent answering in the affirmative, gay respondents were also among the most likely demographics to be comfortable with the concept. Just 36 percent of their straight counterparts agreed.

“Those earning between $100,000 and

$124,999 were more likely to do so.”

Younger Americans were among the least likely to discuss past relationships on first dates.

About one in three men and women aged 18 to 24 said they would bring up this topic, while two in five men and women aged 54 to 64 said they would.

Hispanic-Americans also had some of the lowest responses, with just 25 percent saying it’s OK to talk about former partners on the first romantic outing versus 39 percent of Asian-Americans.

The study surveyed 1,080 respondents over the course of three weeks, balancing responses by age, gender, income, race, sexuality and other factors in order to accurately represent the U.S. population. The study has a margin of error of +/- 2.8%.

The Breakdown: Americans Who Think It’s OK to Discuss Past Relationships On First Dates

By gender:

  • Male: 37%
  • Female: 35%

By sexuality:

  • Straight: 36%
  • Gay: 41%

By marital status:

  • Single, Never Married: 34%
  • Married: 36%
  • Divorced: 42%

By age:

  • 18 to 24: 30%
  • 25 to 34: 38%
  • 35 to 44: 37%
  • 45 to 54: 34%
  • 54 to 64: 40%
  • 65 and older: 36%

By race:

  • White: 38%
  • African-American: 38%
  • Hispanic: 25%
  • Asian: 39%

By income:

  • Under $25,000: 32%
  • $25,000 to $49,999: 37%
  • $50,000 to $74,999: 37%
  • $75,000 to $99,999: 42%
  • $100,000 to $124,999: 46%
  • $125,000 or higher: 37%

By region:

  • Northeast: 34%
  • Midwest: 38%
  • South: 35%
  • West: 36%

Visit DatingAdvice.com/Studies for more research on dating and relationship topics.

Advertiser Disclosure

DatingAdvice.com is a free online resource that offers valuable content and comparison services to users. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation from many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across the site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). DatingAdvice.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers.

Our Editorial Review Policy

Our site is committed to publishing independent, accurate content guided by strict editorial guidelines. Before articles and reviews are published on our site, they undergo a thorough review process performed by a team of independent editors and subject-matter experts to ensure the content’s accuracy, timeliness, and impartiality. Our editorial team is separate and independent of our site’s advertisers, and the opinions they express on our site are their own. To read more about our team members and their editorial backgrounds, please visit our site’s About page.