Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Money: #1 Problem For Couples: New PayPal Survey

In a 30-day period, money sparks a conflict for almost 6 out of 10 young couples, according to this PayPal survey about love & personal finance.

"PayPal’s Valentine’s Day Survey Proves Money Still Can’t Buy Love
Money continues to cause more arguments than sex among couples in the U.S. and UK

Nearly 60 percent of young U.S. couples surveyed argue over money at least once a month, according to PayPal’s second annual “Can’t Buy Me Love” survey. Meanwhile, issues relating to work and household responsibilities top the list for couples in the UK. In both countries, sex ranked low on the list of couples’ common arguments, coming in fifth. The research, conducted by Ipsos, examined how personal finance issues affect couples and singles in the U.S. and UK.


Arguing about money is not the only difference between U.S. couples responding to the survey and those in relationships across the pond. UK couples are more likely to have separate bank accounts (71%), while about half of American couples share bank accounts.



Other surprising findings uncovered through PayPal’s “Can’t Buy Me Love” survey include:


  • Nearly one in four couples responding to the survey in both countries use online shopping as a way to keep their partners in the dark about their purchases.

  • Women surveyed in both countries agree it isn’t the man’s responsibility to pick up the tab after a dinner date. Women in the U.S. think the man should pay only if he initiates the date. Whereas, women in the UK think splitting the check is polite, regardless of who instigates the date.

  • Traditional “romantic” gifts still top the list of the most popular Valentine’s Day presents given by responding couples in both locations. Cards are the most popular, followed by dinner dates and flowers. After January 28th, special offers and discounts on Valentine’s Day gifts will be available at: www.paypal.com/valentinesday.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Surprising survey result! But it does happen between me and my spouse and I still don't have any clue about it.

Colin Joss
Colin.Joss@gmail.com
East Lothian, Haddington
United Kingdom

Anonymous said...

Sharon,

Do you have any suggestions how to avoid this problem? I've talked about this article to my wife and she said we should look for a comparable improvement solution

Colin Joss
East Lothian, Haddington
United Kingdom
http://www.glucosaminadvice.com