New Survey: Money and Relationship Statistics

We all have assumptions about men, women, and the complex relationships they hold dear. We see stereotypes about partnerships on TV and movies, their squabbles and quick reconciliations, and assume everyone is like that — until we look around our own house and see an entirely different picture.

What’s true in love, and what are the myths? CreditDonkey set out to find the answer by anonymously surveying more than 1,200 people to find out what really goes on behind closed doors, to get at the truth of what men and women really think.

Myth #1: Love is all that matters.

If you think love trumps all else, think again. Some people will outwardly insist that money shouldn't be a dominating factor in relationships, but in truth, issues around finances can create a wedge. Both men (84.6%) and women (83.4%) agree that money can make or break a relationship.

Myth #2: Couples spend a lot of time fighting about money.

Even if they’ll let money have an effect on the longevity of their relationship, couples aren't necessarily battling it out over dollars as much as you may think. Nearly 70% of both men and women claim they seldom or never fight about money matters. In fact, over half claim they “often” see eye-to-eye with their partners about financial issues.

Related: Financial Infidelity

Myth #3: Men want to be breadwinners.

The fact is most men don't care who makes the most money. In our survey, 58.5% said they would have “neutral” feelings about a partner with a bigger salary, and nearly 35% say they would “like it.” Women don't get mind being the underdog either. Over 98% said they would have neutral feelings or like having a partner with a bigger paycheck.

Myth #4: It's a man's job to pay for dates.

If proper etiquette still calls for men to pay for most dates, we're living in very improper times. And we should start to question who is making those rules because it's certainly not CreditDonkey readers.

Only 34% of men said guys should “usually” foot the tab while nearly half (47.8%) said each person should take turns. Women are even more lenient on men: Just about a quarter said men should usually pay, and 54% said taking turns is best.

But do women actually whip out their wallets when the bill comes?

Only 6.5% of women pay for dates “often.” 17% of women say they never pay but nearly half claim to pay “sometimes.” Slightly over half the guys say they “often” foot the bill. Only 2.2% can get away with never paying for dates.

Related: Who Should Pay on a Date

Myth #5: Men are more likely to lie.

This is one myth that proves true — but the divide is not as stark as most of us would assume. The survey results in fact show that males are just slightly more likely to fib than females. Nearly three-quarters (73.3% of women) say it's okay to lie sometimes and 31% admit they often lie to their significant other. Most men (78.6%) also believe it's okay to avoid the truth sometimes, but only 32.1% of those guys commonly lie to their partners.

So, there’s some ammo for you, if you ever think that one gender is more liar-prone than the other. The truth is, we all are! Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on the truth), most people of either sex will confess if they're caught lying. But women (19.4%) are slightly more prone than men (18.4%) to tell another lie to cover their tracks. When men don't want to come clean they prefer to just keep denying (23.4%) the accusations.

Related: Lying Statistics

Myth-Busting Reveals Some Proven Stereotypes

© Eva Peris (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr

It’s fun — and a bit disconcerting — to think about all the misconceptions we have about one another. Perhaps you’re feeling remorseful if you’ve ever misjudged someone solely on gender. You can take some solace in the fact that among all these myth-busting realities, we did confirm some stereotypes. It’s true that the majority (two-thirds) of men view sex as a stress reliever (not quite half of women view a trip between the sheets that way). Women are more likely to turn to food when they’re stressed (71.7% admitted they do it). And, sorry guys, just over half of men acknowledged they have sometimes forgotten or often forget details about special occasions, like birthdays.

(CreditDonkey conducted the online survey of 1,254 Americans, age 18 and over between August 8 and August 12, 2014.)