It might not seem like the most critical cog in a relationship, but a new survey has found that a couple’s Netflix habits offer a good barometer of their overall relationship status.
The survey, conducted in the US by Ipsos on behalf of Netflix, found that Netlfix, and broader entertainment habits, can be crucial to getting a relationship off the ground, and can act as a handy milestone marker down the road.
Over half of people (51%) feel that sharing their Netflix account is a big step towards a serious relationship – with a sizable minority waiting until wedding bells ring – or appear on the horizon – before they’ll formally bind their Netflix lives as one. Some 17% of people say they would wait to be engaged or officially married before sharing an account and becoming "Netflix Official", while one in three (32%) see sharing a Netflix password as a big relationship step.
Seven in ten (67%) say shows become a focal point of their relationship because shows they're more fun when watched together and half (52%) say it’s because they bond over shows together.
Unsurprisingly, the survey found that mutual entertainment interests are pretty important to a lot of people and a handy icebreaker in the early days of courting. Movies (69%) and TV shows (63%) were the top icebreakers on a first date – and were seen as being a far better topic for conversation that sports, work or politics.
But it goes deeper – apparently one in four of us will find someone more attractive based on the shows they like. Maybe that’s not too surprising, as mutual interests have been shown to be handy in relationships in the past, but a hefty 27% go so far as to consider ‘show-compatibility’ as an important factor in the suitability of a partner.
And over half of us (57%) have added a show to their online dating profile to attract suitors.
And 13% would go further and not just see it as an important factor, but a defining factor - saying they would ask someone out based solely on their ‘show-compatibility’.
Men (34%) are far more likely than women (19%) to fall prey to the attraction of someone based just on viewing habits.
The findings are from an Ipsos poll conducted Oct. 26-28, 2015 on behalf of Netflix. For the survey, a sample of 1,008 American 18-39 year olds with Netflix accounts from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online in English.
