5,000 single people have revealed what they think about calling and texting on a date and whether having sex with a robot is 'cheating'

Markus Spiske / Unsplash

• Most people find it rude if you use your phone during a date, according to the annual Singles in America Study by dating site Match.
• 5,000 singles answered questions about their dating lives.
• The results showed that people can be very judgmental, but they wouldn't turn down the opportunity to have sex with a robot.

It's a challenge to keep up with all the rules of how you should act on a date. For many people, going the whole evening without checking their phone will be an excruciating exercise in willpower. If you really like someone, you don't want them to think you're sidebarring them, so you'll just have to cope somehow.

In its eighth annual Singles in America Study, dating site Match asked over 5,000 singles in the US about dating rituals, including what people thought was appropriate use of their phone on a date.

As it turns out, not a lot. Three quarters of singles said they would be turned off if their date answered the phone without any explanation, while 66% said it was off-putting if they texted.

Even having the phone around is a risk, with 58% saying they didn't want their date to place the phone on the table face up, and 41% said it's rude when someone takes their phone to the bathroom or outside - perhaps because there's a chance they're gossiping to their friends about how terrible the date is going.

But it's not just about the etiquette. People are fairly judgmental when it comes to how you use your phone in general. People with an Android phone were 15 times more likely to judge someone negatively for having an iPhone, and Apple users were 21 times more likely to think the same about Android users.

Women were 92% more likely to judge their date for having an older model of phone, and 14% of all singles said they didn't like it if you have a cracked screen. 14% also thought having audible clicks while typing was irritating.

Singles weren't totally against technology advances in dating, though. According to the survey, one in four people would have sex with a robot if they were given the chance - but nearly half said they would consider it cheating if their partner did it behind their back.

EXCLUSIVE FREE SLIDE DECK:
The Next Smartphone by the BI Intelligence Research Team.
Get the Slide Deck Now »