Left or right: the political views Britons might not swipe right on

A recent Ipsos UK poll reveals Britons’ views on whether they would consider dating someone with different political beliefs to their own, as well as their views on how various politicians would behave on a first date. 

Dating across the political divide 

• Political compatibility: Overall, a third (32%) of Britons say they would find it fairly/very difficult to date someone with different political views to their own. Women (36%) are more likely to say they would find it difficult than men (28%).
• Politicians giving you the ick?
  • Around six in ten (59%) Britons would not date a supporter of US President Donald Trump.
  • Around half (49%) of Britons say they would not date a supporter of Reform UK Nigel Farage.
  • 39% say they would not date a supporter of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
  • Three in ten (30%) say they would not date a supporter of Green Party leader Zack Polanski.
  • 27% would not date a supporter of Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey.
  • 37% would not date a supporter of Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch.

• Crossing party lines:
  • Britons are most likely to say they would find it easy being in a relationship with a Green Party (40%) or Labour (39%) supporter.
  • 40% of Britons say that they would find it difficult to be in a relationship with a supporter of Reform UK (up 5ppts from last year).  But in most cases, large numbers don’t have an opinion either way.
  • 41% of Labour voters and 33% of Liberal Democrat voters say that they would find it difficult to date a supporter of the Conservative party.
  • Conversely, 55% of Reform UK voters and 42% of Conservative voters say they would find it difficult to be in a relationship with a supporter of the Labour party.

Westminster dating disasters

Elsewhere in the poll, people were asked to select which party leader would be most likely to do a number of things on a date: 

• The British public believes that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage would be most likely to:
  • Make you pay on the first date (25%)
  • Take you on a cheap first date (22%)
  • Plan an expensive event for your first date (16%)
  • Ghost you after the first date (21%)
  • Dump you over text (24%)
  • Get really drunk on a first date (37%)
  • Have a photo from ten years ago on their dating profile (27%)
  • Not ask you any questions about yourself (32%)
• Farage is neck-and-neck with Keir Starmer on who would be most likely to:
  • Split the bill on a first date (16% Starmer, 14% Farage). Zack Polanski follows close behind on 13%.
  • Cancel your date at the last minute (23% Starmer, 22% Nigel Farage)
• Zack Polanski and Ed Davey are tied for who would be most likely to buy you a gift on a first date (11% each)

Peter Cooper, Research Director at Ipsos said: 

Political compatibility might not totally decide who gets a swipe right, but our latest data certainly highlights the growing importance of shared values in contemporary relationships. The aversion to dating supporters of certain political figures suggests an increasing politicisation of social spaces, transcending from public discourse into the personal domain.

Technical note: 

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1092 online British adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain between the 6th-9th February 2025.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.