Introducing the Singles in America Study by Match.com

Singles in America, Match.com’s second annual comprehensive study on singles, dives deep into how single men and women — who make up a third of the U.S. adult population — are living and thinking in 2012. Over 5,000 singles participated in the survey, and with questions ranging from “How many times have you had sex in the last 12 months?” to “What are the biggest deal-breakers in a relationship?” the answers are sure to show a new side to singles! Unmarried Americans have a lot to say about everything from politics, sex, love and relationships — and how men and women are matching up in the dating world.

We found that today’s singles defy traditional gender and age stereotypes, seek new things in romance and partnership, and can draw a parallel between their political affiliation and their own sexual satisfaction — in other words, how you vote in this year’s election just may correlate to your bedroom behavior!

The Singles in America study was funded by Match.com in association with biological anthropologist, Dr. Helen Fisher; sex and relationship therapist, Dr. Laura Berman; evolutionary biologist with The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, Dr. Justin R. Garcia; and the Institute for Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) at Binghamton University. Each scientist will be contributing his or her own points of view on some of the most interesting topics throughout the upcoming weeks here on the Match.com blog. Here are just a few of the study’s most groundbreaking results they will be covering:

Which political party has a better sex life? Conservative Republicans (40%) are significantly more likely than other groups to be very satisfied with sex while they’re married.Butthey also had the least amount of sexual activity in the last 12 months.

Fidelity is regarded as a more important quality in the U.S. president than in a partner. 62% of men and 80% of women say that sexual fidelity in a relationship is a “must have.” But almost 9 out of 10 respondents believe there are “no acceptable excuses” for infidelity by a political candidate (87% of men and 91% of women).

Republican and Democratic singles seek dramatically different traits in a partner. Liberal Democrats are more likely to search for someone with a sense of humor, similar lifestyle to their own, a sense of independence and someone whom they consider to be their equal. Republicans really are conservative when it comes to choosing a partner; they’re searching for someone with the same background and political party as their own who is interested in marriage.

Men fall in love just as often as women do and are more likely to experience love at first sight. By age 30, 58% of men who say they have been in love and believe in love at first sight have experienced it, compared to 51% of women.

PDA approved? Men are more likely to show their love and affection in public. 41% of men would be very comfortable kissing in public, versus 31% of women.

Men are more willing to make a commitment without being in love or feeling sexually attracted to their partner. Men are more likely than women to be willing to make a commitment to someone who has everything they are looking for in a partner, but whom they are not in love with (31% of men and 23% of women). And they’re also willing to make a commitment to someone who has everything they are looking for in a partner, but don’t find sexually attractive (26% of men and 22% of women).

Men find loneliness just as stressful as women do. 31% ofmen and 33% of women report that they find loneliness to be “very stressful” or “somewhat stressful.” And men are more likely to report that loneliness is a challenging aspect of being single (27% of men and 22% of women).

When it comes to cohabitation, men want to commit sooner than women. Contrary to popular belief, when dating a new partner, 46% of men and 26% of women would expect to move in together before they’d been dating someone for less than a year.

Men are far more concerned about their weight than their height. 55% of straight men and 63% of gay men are more concerned with their weight than their height (6% of straight men and 3% of gay men).

Aging and desperate? Think again. Singles over 60 are most likely to insist on a partnership that includes sexual attraction and romance; moreover, they are more likely than any other age group to achieve orgasm — a thrilling 91-100% of the time!

The economy is stressing out singles, but it’s NOT affecting their dating lives. While economy concerns rank as the number-one source of stress in singles’ lives, 60% say that it has not changed their dating habits. And over 40% of those surveyed would date someone who was unemployed if they were already interested in that person.

Singles are seeking personal fulfillment, shedding age-old traditions in favor of deep biological imperatives — love. A smaller percentage of singles (11%) said they “must have” a partner from the same ethnic or religious background or who can give them marriage and children (23% and 26%, respectively). Instead, more singles are seeking someone whom they feel they can trust and confide in (93%).

Gays and lesbians are attracted to the same qualities in a partner as heterosexuals. Gays and lesbians are equally likely to seek a partner with a similar level of education (29% of heterosexuals, 23% of gay men and 31% of lesbians); has a successful career (33% of heterosexuals, 30% of gays, 28% of lesbians); is physically attractive to them (73% of heterosexuals, 75% of gays, 70% of lesbians); has a sense of humor (83% of heterosexuals, 82% of gays, 89% and lesbians) and who is confident and self-assured (74% of heterosexuals, 73% of gays, and 73% of lesbians).

For more findings regarding singles’ new-found attitudes on love and relationships, check back with http://blog.match.com/singles-in-america/ for posts from Dr. Helen Fisher, Dr. Justin R. Garcia, Dr. Laura Berman, and some helpful infographics that summarize our findings in the coming days!