Political Views for Gen Z Dating: Dealbreaker or Not?
Election Day is rapidly approaching, and the Hily team wondered: does Gen Z mix politics and relationships? We’ve surveyed 2,500 Gen Z daters—and here is what we found out.
Gen Z Can Be Strong Political Believers
Gen Zers are believed to be idealists—but when it comes to today’s politics, it’s hard to determine what this generation is. Almost one-third (27%) said they don’t have any strong political views, and slightly above one-third (37%) have clear political ideals.
Political Compatibility is Important for Some Gen Zers
As a generation, Gen Z may have a mixed attitude towards politics. But when their political views are strong, they can become a dealbreaker. For 37% of respondents, political alignment with their partners is very important. At the same time, for 36% of Gen Zers, different political perspectives are not a thing at all.
How important is it for you to find a partner with similar political values?
”It’s important to me because if you don’t agree on certain topics, it can change your life together based on who you vote for. You need to come to a mutual agreement, and that’s hard when you’re on opposite sides. — Sofia, 18, a Hily user
”It’s somewhat important to me to find someone with similar political views, mainly so we can watch the news together and discuss politics without clashing. I don’t expect them to be politically engaged right away, but eventually, I’d like to have those conversations as our relationship progresses.” — Emma, 20, a Hily user
Different Political Views May Be the Reason to Swipe Left
Gen Z’s views on dating someone with differing political opinions show interesting gender dynamics. Around 1 out of 20 men and 2 out of 20 women admitted that political incompatibility is a strong dealbreaker for them. But when it comes to the level of flexibility on the matter, gender differences become more pronounced.
On the other hand, 30% of men (compared to 17% of women) revealed readiness to give a shot to someone regardless of a political misalignment, while 43% of women (compared to 27% of men) chose to ditch politics if other important factors were also in play.
Politics Can Be the Reason for Divorce
No matter how strong Gen Zers feel about politics, they rarely let these feelings break their relationships: only 9% of male and around 18% of female respondents broke up with someone due to opposing political views.
Political Matters Gen Z Cares About
When it comes to politics, the Venus-Mars theory does not apply to Gen Z. But once asked about the issues that matter most, the gender differences became striking. Women tend to feel the strongest about their social safety, including reproductive rights (42%) and social justice (30%). Male political preoccupations are more about economic policy (17%) and taxes and tax policy (16%).
How Gen Z Bring Up Politics on First Dates
Based on the survey results, most Gen Zers (23%) prefer to avoid politics in the early dating stages and instead look for subtle signs of their date’s political views during casual conversations (17%). If daters want to discuss politics, they’d rather ask a direct question (17%) than bring up a related topic (8%) or silently check their date’s social media (3%).
How to navigate political conversations in a relationship?
“There are two options: talk about it early to avoid wasting energy on someone it won’t work with, or wait until you’re comfortable enough to have a civil conversation. But don’t wait too long. It’s better to discuss politics early or once you know each other and can handle differences.
I try to avoid getting upset and set ground rules, reminding them it’s not a debate and to stay open-minded. Setting rules helps keep the conversation respectful. It’s important to communicate, understand each other’s views, and not hold grudges over differing opinions.” — Sofia, 18, a Hily user
Political Dealbreakers for Gen Z Daters
Gen Z men are generally less likely to break up with someone over political differences—but when they do, 21% cite gun control, reproductive rights (21%), and LGBTQ+ rights (20%) as the reasons. For women, these issues carry more weight, with 51% ending a relationship over reproductive rights, 36% over LGBTQ+ rights, and 30% over social justice issues.
“Abortion right is probably the most essential issue for me to agree with my partner on. You have to agree because if one person believes you shouldn’t have the right, and the other thinks the opposite, that’s life-changing.” — Sofia, 18, a Hily user
Gen Zers and Voting Tendencies
Gen Z are expected to have a significant influence on the election results this year—all they need to do is to show up. Since many people from this generation will be voting for the first time in their lives, it’s interesting to see how many of them are actually going to come.
Based on the survey results, 53% of first-time Gen Z voters and 63% of non-first-time Gen Z voters are about to use their political right—compared to almost 68% of Millennials aged between 27 and 40. Thus, we’re about to expect that these two generations will become a significant political power.
“I’m voting for the first time this year. I don’t know if my one vote will really change things, but it feels like I at least have to try, right?” — Alex, 22, first-time voter, Hily user
“I think voting is important because it’s a small way to get your voice heard in the government, even if it’s just one vote. Sometimes, one vote can change the entire outcome. Standing by what you believe in is important, and voting gives people a way to speak out. Not many can drastically change the world unless they’re in the government or Senate, so voting is crucial.”— Sofia, 18, first-time voter, Hily user
Conclusion
Politics is a significant part of Gen Z lives, and it has an impact on their dating choices and romantic relationship dynamics as well. In the survey results, reproductive rights, social justice, and tax policy are among the most important Gen Z concerns that can even become dealbreakers for some.
When it comes to political compatibility, female respondents tend to put more emphasis on political beliefs when making dating and relationship decisions, particularly around issues like reproductive rights and social justice. While men generally have a less radical approach to political differences, conflicting views on reproductive rights can still be a significant issue for them as well.
Nevertheless, political disagreements generally don’t lead to breakups or divorces for Gen Zers. If political conflicts still arise, they seem open to dialogue, compromise, and demonstrating mutual respect.
Download the full report here
The methodology
Hily’s team of researchers and relationship scientists adopted qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the behavioral patterns of modern Gen Z daters in the U.S. The aim was to find out whether political compatibility can become the new chemistry on the dating scene–and if so, how strongly it affects Gen Z daters.
About Hily
Hily is a dating app designed to make dating fun and enjoyable. By allowing everyone to date as they are and encouraging curiosity and a sense of adventure, the app helps people make new connections and explore themselves through dating. With features like icebreakers, compatibility checks, messaging, and video calls, Hily helps users connect in genuine ways. Released in 2017, Hily has become one of the top 10 dating apps in US app stores, with over 34 million users worldwide.