WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- While the presidential nominees continue touting their political charm, they may be well advised to opt for a makeover -- and we're not talking politics. At 80 million strong, Match.com believes singles could be the next all-important swing vote, and for this interest group, looks and kissability count when it comes to electing a candidate.
In the latest Gallup survey twice as many of the 1,001 eligible American singles surveyed believe that Democrats make better lovers than Republicans, and 53 percent of single females voted Kerry for kissing charisma while President Bush's groomed Texan figure took the good-looks vote.
Singles with a penchant for politics are on the rise according to the views of the 12 million single adults registered on Match.com's online dating service. After 91 percent of members said in a May poll that they would be more likely to fall in love with a registered voter than someone not registered to vote, Match.com conducted a nationwide survey of American singles in an effort to explore the issues that will sway singles' predilections for the November ticket.
"Singles look for people that are passionate, that are engaged in the process and are committed to the democratic process. It's not so much that you have to agree on the same issues, but it's a matter of you don't want to be with somebody that doesn't care," Match.com spokeswoman Kristin Kelly told United Press International. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said they would discuss politics on a first date.
The dating service is using its findings to suggest that singles that show an interest in politics, regardless of political affiliation, make more attractive individuals.
The randomized telephone survey revealed that more single adults are Democrats than Republican, of which 41 percent felt that John Kerry would address the issues important to them, compared with 31 percent that prefer President Bush. The results showed that foreign policy and the U.S. economy are the burning issues for many singles during this presidential-election cycle. Fifty-seven percent felt that the war in Iraq wasn't justified. Healthcare ranked as the third most important concern for single women, and homeland security was a high priority for single men.
"A lot of the issues that singles found important were issues that married people find important," Kelly said. However, talk of family values and child support are often issues that alienate the singles population, she said.
"We want to help the candidates in the campaigns understand that singles are powerful, that there are issues that are important to singles, and they should not be a group that goes unaddressed."
Surprising results for Match.com survey commissioners were the 51 percent of singles who said that gay marriage should not be legally recognized as valid. Also surprising was the 41 percent of singles who stated that the candidate's relationship with his spouse is more important than his choice of running mate.
Kelly suggested that a possible reason for this attitude is that singles expect the leader of the country to have "a quality, respectful, loving, mutually respectful relationship with his spouse," an ideal that they themselves are looking to emulate.
"It doesn't matter if you're single and looking for love or if you've been divorced or widowed and are looking for love again in your life -- single people place a really high value on finding that really great relationship in their life," said Kelly.
Match.com caters to singles of all ages, and the survey questioned the views of a wide cross section of the singles registered with the agency.
The Match.com dating expert believes that singles marking their ballot boxes have an extra factor to consider. Like married couples, singles may select a candidate based on the candidate's promises to address the issues important to the individual. However, singles may also question whether the presidential nominee has an understanding of their status.
"Do they have an understanding of where I'm at in my life?" is a key question a single adult may pose, according to Kelly. She believes that John Kerry may be a more attractive candidate to singles because of his marital status. According to Kelly, the fact that he is remarried and has a merged family with Theresa Heinz Kerry is "more the norm these days than not."
"We have lots of interesting blended families in America," Kelly told UPI. "Maybe singles feel that they can relate to somebody who's had some ups and downs in his life in terms of his relationships."
The singles population in America today is bigger than ever before. A more mobile society, high divorce rates, more women in the workforce and the "time-starved culture" in which we live are some reasons Kelly cited that contribute to this phenomenon.
Nationwide there are 40 million singles registered with online dating sites. The industry is growing because it "allows singles to meet lots of people that they may not have met otherwise," Kelly said.
Members of online dating sites enter their profiles, some giving very specific information so that others can best inform an idea of the member's "perfect partner."
Some members of Match.com state their political allegiance and refuse to meet anyone who is not backing the same ticket in this election.
Nicole, 34, is looking for an "attractive, successful, confident Republican, New Jersey Roman Catholic, faithful man." But members often say they will cross party lines for love.
So, can we make an analogy between choosing a spouse and choosing a presidential candidate? Kelly thinks such a case can be made.
"Those people who really are engaged and active and are proactively using Match.com are the most successful. They have the most successful dates and higher success rates when it comes to engagement and marriage," she said.
"The same applies to politics; the more engaged you are, the more informed and the more proactive you are, the more likely you are to feel good about the choices you make and the more likely you are to have greater satisfaction with the overall process."
Just bear in mind that the honeymoon period in both cases may not last forever.
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