New Relationship Research Available for Valentine's Day Coverage: Dating Too Difficult for Most Seniors

OMAHA, Neb., Feb. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Marist Poll sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care revealed more than half (56 percent) of Americans 68 and older, the Greatest Generation, say it would be more difficult to start dating than to stay single (44 percent).  

Americans of all ages were asked if, at age 65, it would be more difficult to start dating than to remain single. Sixty-six (66) percent of Americans thought it would be more difficult to start dating.

Regardless of age, when asked, if you were to start dating at age 65 which of the following decisions would be most stressful when getting ready for your first date, survey respondents said they would be most stressed about:

• What to talk about: 35 percent
• Where to go: 25 percent
• What to wear: 20 percent
• Whether to kiss on first date: 12 percent
• Who pays: Eight percent

Responses on first-date stressors from the Greatest Generation were remarkably consistent with those of millennials with the exception of one – whether to kiss on a first date. While only seven percent of 68 and older respondents chose this quandary, 13 percent of millennials saw this decision as a first-date stressor.

Other responses of note were:

• Thirty-eight (38) percent of men think it's tougher to stay single compared with 31 percent of women.
• Gen Xers (33-48) were the most likely age group to say it would be more difficult to start dating at age 65 than it would be to stay single, with 70 percent stating dating would be harder.
• Baby Boomers and millennials had a bit more confidence in their senior selves, with 68 and 65 percent, respectively, choosing it would be harder to date than stay single at 65.
• Women are more likely to worry about what to talk about on a first date, 39 percent, than men, 31 percent.
• Baby Boomers are less likely than other age groups to worry about what to wear on a first date (15 percent) but more likely to stress about where to go (29 percent).

Methodology:
A survey of 1,224 adults was conducted November 4, 2013 through November 20, 2013 by The Marist Poll and sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the continental United States were interviewed by telephone using live interviewers. Landline telephone numbers were randomly selected based upon a list of telephone exchanges from throughout the nation from ASDE Survey Sampler, Inc. The exchanges were selected to ensure that each region was represented in proportion to its population. To increase coverage, this landline sample was supplemented by respondents reached through random dialing of cell phone numbers from Survey Sampling International. The two samples were then combined and balanced to reflect the 2010 Census results for age, gender, income, race and region. Results are statistically significant within +2.8 percentage points. The sample was stratified by four age cohorts (Millennials: age 18-32; Gen X: age 33-48; Baby Boomers: age 49-67; Silent/Greatest generation: age 68+) to allow for reporting by generation. The results for these subsets are statistically significant within approximately +6.0 percentage points.

ABOUT HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE
Founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska by Lori and Paul Hogan, the Home Instead Senior Care© network is the world's largest provider of non-medical in-home care services for seniors, with 1,000 independently owned and operated franchises providing in excess of 45 million hours of care throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Mexico. Local Home Instead Senior Care offices employ more than 65,000 CAREGivers^SM worldwide who provide basic support services – assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), personal care, medication reminders, meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands, incidental transportation and shopping – which enable seniors to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. In addition, CAREGivers are trained in the network's groundbreaking Alzheimer's Disease or Other Dementias CARE: Changing Aging Through Research and Education^© Program to work with seniors who suffer from these conditions. This world class curriculum is also available free to family caregivers online or through local Home Instead Senior Care offices. At Home Instead Senior Care, it's relationship before task, while continuing to provide superior quality service that enhances the lives of seniors everywhere.

SOURCE Home Instead Senior Care