TIME TO GET HITCHED?
***This random double-opt in survey was conducted by OnePoll, a market research company and corporate member of ESOMAR and adheres to the MRS code of conduct. For more information about OnePoll’s research in the media, navigate to their portfolio here: http://www.onepoll.com/in-the-media/
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The girlfriend pressuring her man into proposing may be a tired old cliché after all as new research reveals that men are more likely to drop hints about marriage than women!
According to a new survey of 1,000 married Americans from across the country conducted by JamesAllen.com, 39 percent of men admit to giving their partner subtle hints of intentions to get hitched, while only 28 percent of women admit the same.
For men, the most commonly used hint was talking about friends getting married as well as bringing it up subtly in conversation - which was the top pick for hint-dropping women.
Other popular methods include asking to meet the other partner’s parents or family members, as well as sneakily recommending that they watch films about engagements or weddings.
Millennials say Valentine's Day is the best holiday to pop the big question. Four out of ten young Americans said they would prefer to have a proposal occur on the 14th of February than on any other day.
On average, it took eight months for the hinting to eventually lead to an engagement, with women dropping around 12 hints over that time and men hinting 15 times.
A number of people go further than subtly dropping hints - 45 percent say they would prefer to shop for the engagement ring with their partner to ensure they have what they want.
Fifteen percent say shopping for a ring with their partner is more romantic, while 45 percent say they would prefer to choose their own ring because they have selective taste.
However, 72 percent of men and 85 percent of women both believe that they never pressured their partner into getting married.
Men are 57 percent more likely to have felt pressured to get engaged - but with only 63 percent saying that the pressure came from their partner. The men’s mother, father and his partner’s mother were the other likely sources of pressure.
As for the proposals themselves, one in four respondents admit that they were at least a bit disappointed with how their proposal played out, with the biggest complaint being that there wasn’t enough effort put in.
But surprisingly, men were about twice as likely to regret not getting a nicer engagement ring for the proposal than women - with 93 percent of women who received an engagement ring saying they liked it.
Oded Edelman, CEO of JamesAllen.com said: “When it comes to getting engaged, there is no need to stick to what is traditional or expected.
“If you would rather pick out your ring, then make that clear. If you are more about the surprise, then drop those hints,” he added. “But if this data has taught us anything, it’s that putting in the time and effort to plan and make your intentions at least subtly known can lead to a lot of happiness when the big moment comes.
"The data also shows that if you're planning on popping the question this February 14th then somewhere with real sentimental value is the top choice, followed by doing it in private or at home or a restaurant.”
***This survey of 1000 US adults was conducted between January 10, 2016 and January 20, 2016 by Market Researchers OnePoll and commissioned by JamesAllen.com.
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