Politics & Dating in the US: Breakup Day Yet to Come?
Inauguration Day 2025 is coming fast, and the United States is buzzing about it. The media is full of headlines musing about high-profile foreign invitees, speculating about possible global changes because of the new political trajectory, and offering detailed plans and schedules for the big day.
Opinions differ on what is to come, and the divide just seems to be growing. So how are American daters faring in this turbulent landscape? Do politics affect dating? Can political disagreements be a dealbreaker? And is the upcoming inauguration adding fuel to the fire? The Hily team surveyed 5,000 Gen Z and Millennial Americans, and here is what we’ve learned.
Key findings
- According to the survey, 43% of American women have strong political views, and 1 in 3 would decline a date over political differences. The situation with American men is quite different. With 42% claiming to have strong political beliefs, only 1 in 10 would decline a date if their political views clashed.
- Almost half of young Americans are eager to learn about their potential date’s political stance early on: 36% make conclusions from what their dates say or text, 25% check the filters on dating apps, and 25% bring up a related topic to see their reaction. Some use more than one approach.
- Almost half of the American women couldn’t date someone who voted for the “other side” in the last election, compared to only 1 in 5 American men.
- For 1 in 3 American women and 1 in 4 American men, political differences could become a reason to end a relationship.
- For 34% of American women and 19% of American men, the buzz around the 2025 Inauguration period might trigger conflicts about political differences that could end their relationships.
Are Politics Important for Young American Daters?
It seems many young Americans want to keep up with the situation — and not just keep up but react appropriately. Over 40% of both men and women say they have strong political views. Millennials are a little more opinionated. Almost 50% of them feel strongly about politics, compared to 39% of Gen Zers.
With such a high percentage of people having strong opinions, it’s interesting to look at what topics are most important to them.
When it comes to things they want to agree upon with their potential partner, young American men and women are generally aligned. Men would like their date to share their opinion on reproductive rights (27%) and social justice and equality (27%) first and foremost. Other important topics for them are economic policy (25%) and gun control (22%).
Women also want to agree with their potential partner but are more passionate about this — 57% of women say it’s a must to agree about reproductive rights, and 41% say that it’s important to agree on topics of social justice and equality. They also want their date to share their opinions on LGBTQ+ rights (30%) and health care (22%).
When asked which political differences are dealbreakers, American men and women show the same tendency. Young men’s dealbreakers are opinions on reproductive rights (28%) and LGBTQ+ rights (27%).
As for young women, 59% of them say differing opinions on reproductive rights are a dealbreaker, and 38% say the same about LGBTQ+ rights.
Political Opinions Do Affect Dating … But How?
We see that many young Americans, especially women, are passionate about political topics. It’s fair to expect that to affect their dating preferences.
In fact, almost half (49%) of young Americans really want to know where their potential date’s politics lean. However, not all of them are ready to ask openly. Instead, they look at what their crush says (17%), wait for them to mention their political stance (13%), or bring up a related topic to see their reaction (8%).
Early on, I recommend you stay away from politics, and religion because that’s a sensitive subject, and it might make things really awkward depending on the two parties that are engaged in the conversation. It’s totally ok to touch on those subjects once you’ve gotten to know the person and there’s a level of comfortability. Otherwise, it might lead to getting ghosted.
[If the other party raises the topic] I’d usually respond with “I’m not into politics”.
Bakar, 25, a Hily user
The one time that I waited to discuss politics, it was not a pleasant situation. I think we were dating for six months at that point, and then it just kind of weirdly got brought up because there was an election coming up or something like that. And we started talking about it, and we realized that we supported the completely opposite things. It was a lot harder to step away from that because you’ve already been with someone for so long, and you love them for everything else.
So it’s definitely better to do it at the beginning. Then you can go like, thank you for giving me this opportunity to meet you, but I don’t think this is going to work out, and that’s okay.
Kiana, 18, Hily user
One in three even mentions that if their date has the same political views, it really influences their attraction to that person. Gen Z men seem to care the least about that: 28% admit political alignment strongly influences their attraction. Millennial women care the most, at 38%.
Many also want to know who their date voted for in the last presidential election. They say they couldn’t go out with someone who voted for the “other side,” women (43%) twice as often as men (21%).
It’s very important to me who someone voted for, as it shows exactly where their morals are.
Autumn, 22, Hily user
Women would decline a date over political differences more often, with 28% unwilling to compromise. The tendency of Millennials to have stronger opinions remains consistent: 31% of Millennial women wouldn’t go out with someone they disagree with on political topics, compared to 26% of Gen Z women.
Fewer men are that adamant (12%). Gen Zers care the least, with only 9% totally unwilling to go out with someone they disagree with. Millennial men are a bit more picky, with 17% uncompromising on political beliefs.
Nevertheless, it appears the majority are still willing to give their date a chance, even if their politics don’t align.
Can Political Differences Break Relationships?
With politics becoming increasingly divisive, young Americans might fear for their established or potential relationships. In fact, 38% of women and 24% of men say political differences could be a reason to break up.
When you think about dating somebody, and they don’t believe in anything that you stand for, you can’t be with somebody who’s a complete opposite of you.
Kiana, 18, Hily user
In practice, whether or not political differences will become a breaking point varies by gender — 21% of women broke things off with their partners during or after the last presidential election, citing political differences as either the only or an important reason. In contrast, only 9% of men initiated a breakup because of political misalignments.
Is the 2025 Inauguration Sparking Dating Worries?
With 2025 Inauguration Day coming up, young American daters often think about all the political differences that shape their experiences. More women are reminded of it by the inauguration: 1 in 3, as compared to 1 in 5 men.
Some worry that more of the conversations on dates will revolve around politics in the lead up to the inauguration. And, of course, with such a topic, things can quickly become intense.
With the 2025 Inauguration coming up, do you think political conversations will become more frequent or intense in your dating life?
Definitely more, with how drastic our politicians have become, who you support tends to show perspective.
Dawson, 24, Hily user
I mean it’s not avoidable, and it isn’t something to avoid — to see how your partner stands. It just depends on them, if they’re able to still talk to you even though you have a different political opinion.
Katy, 20, Hily user
These potentially unpleasant conversations might spark relationship-threatening arguments: 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men see such fights as quite possible.
Conclusion
Politics play a significant role in the lives of young Americans, and they do have a bearing on dating and relationships. Many say they have strong political opinions, with the most important topics being reproductive rights, social justice, and LGBTQ+ rights. Millennials in general are a bit more opinionated and a little less up for compromise. Differences in political opinions can be dealbreakers, especially for women.
With Inauguration Day 2025 approaching, many expect political topics to come up in conversation more often. These conversations could be unpleasant and even break up relationships.
Female respondents think about their date’s politics more than males do. Overall, gender plays a big role in whether or not daters are willing to give someone a chance despite differences in political opinions. Women are generally less ready to compromise on that. They are more likely to decline a date or break up with a partner over politics. However, the majority of young Americans would give it a try, even if their opinions don’t align with their date’s.
The methodology
Hily’s research team surveyed 5,000 Millennial and Gen Z Americans. The goal was to understand if political opinions and disagreements affect dating and relationships, especially before Inauguration Day 2025.
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.