(Reuters) – Race and religion no longer seem to be an issue when it comes to dating, but body odour and a mustache on a woman are likely to be deal breakers, according to a poll on the singles scene released on Tuesday.
Reflecting the growing popularity of social media and the Internet, some 53 per cent of the single Americans questioned for the poll said they used online dating, and 56 per cent said they rely on the Internet for advice, rather than a trusted friend or confidant.
The poll, released by Oxygen Media in conjunction with Tuesday’s premiere of the cable TV channel’s series “Find Me My Man,” also found that men are twice as likely as women (57 per cent vs. 28 per cent) to say they would go on a second date after having sex on a first date.
But the biggest finding was the 90 per cent of Latino and African-American women, and 85 per cent of white respondents who said they were OK with having a future partner of a different race than their own.
On the question of religion, 80 per cent of the 833 people questioned in the poll conducted by Research Now, said they would be fine with a future partner practicing a different religion than their own.
Although honesty ranks as the No. 1 quality for singles in a relationship, 87 per cent of women said they would be turned off a date completely by body odour in a man.
For men, the no-no is spotting a mustache on a woman, with 68 per cent citing it as a top deal-breaker.