MEN, AND not women, are more likely to have their heads turned by classic status symbols like flashy cars and big houses when weighing up potential partners.
That’s according to the findings of a St Valentine’s Day poll of 10,000 men and 6,500 women carried out by AA Insurance.
Despite the term “gold digger” being traditionally levelled at women, the survey found a higher percentage of men admitted to being turned on by material possessions or by what someone did for a living.
The online questionnaire asked respondents to rank the importance they attached to wealth and social standing when considering a love interest.
Prestige professions such as medicine and law proved the biggest draw for both sexes, comfortably surpassing “a place in the sun”, “a swish pad”, “a sexy set of wheels” and “designer threads”. However, a higher percentage of men admitted to being attracted by a potential mate’s professional status, with 32 per cent ranking it as either “very important” or “somewhat important” compared with 27 per cent of women.
After profession, the next most alluring aspect for both sexes was whether their potential partner owned a place in the sun. Some 28 per cent of men said they would be impressed by someone owning a holiday home compared to 18 per cent of women.
Despite the moribund state of Ireland’s property sector, 29 per cent of men said they would still rate having a big house as important compared to just 20 per cent of women. Some 26 per cent of men compared to 16 per cent of women said they would ideally like to see their partner driving a high-end car.
Even in expensive clothes, men placed a higher importance on material things when choosing a mate.
“We do, however, warn those looking for love this Valentine’s Day not to get too carried away with the results,” AA’s Conor Faughnan said.
“Statistics we gleaned from the same poll suggest that as many as 10 per cent of motorists have at some point bought a car that was beyond their budget for aspirational reasons.”
