When It Comes to Romance, the Wealthiest Americans Are Happiest

Many societal and consumer trends are downstream of relationships — both platonic and romantic. 

Morning Consult’s recent report, The Evolving American Social Life, explored the former in-depth, finding that adults increasingly orient their friendships and leisure time around health and wellness-related objectives. The study underpinning that report also interrogated the state of Americans' romantic lives, which revealed, among other things, that the wealthiest adults are faring far, far better than any other group when it comes to love.

But this isn’t just the case with romantic relationships; research across all of Morning Consult’s verticals continues to show a widening, income-based gap on everything from general sentiment and spending to trust in business leaders and institutions. 

All in, it’s clear that money is looming larger than ever before over nearly all aspects of American life, whether negatively or positively — an environment every brand should heed when crafting messaging or creative, regardless of industry.

High earning and happy

Nearly 3 in 4 (71%) high earners — defined as U.S. adults making $100,000 or more annually  — reported being “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with their romantic lives, regardless of their current relationship status. That’s 17 and 25 percentage points higher than the shares of all U.S. adults (54%) and low earners (46%) — those making under $50,000 per year — who said the same, respectively.

In contrast, low earners are among the most likely (alongside Gen Xers) to report discontent; 1 in 4 (25%) said they are “very” or “somewhat” dissatisfied with their romantic lives at present.

These income-based differences exist within our findings on social life more broadly, too: Relative to high earners, low earners generally have fewer friends, receive fewer social invitations and do fewer activities on a weekly basis. 

That said, some other typical sources of division — namely, political affiliation and gender — are non-factors on the subject of romantic satisfaction. Both men and women, as well as Republicans and Democrats, reported being satisfied with their romantic relationships to a largely similar extent. 

It’s a curious finding when considering how recent discourse around dating and relationships has become so ideologically coded as of late. But the lack of any other extreme demographic gaps suggests having ample disposable income is the primary prerequisite to achieving a robust romantic life in 2025.

Romance — who has time for it? 

In addition to being the most satisfied with their romantic lives, high earners are also spending the most time and energy on romance-related pursuits each week.

Approximately 3 in 4 (74%) said they devote “a lot” or “some” time to romance (in a broad sense) on a weekly basis, a figure that is once again double-digits higher than both their low-earning counterparts (50%) and the general population (57%).

In a separate question, 15% of high earners said they go on dates at least once per week, while just 7% of low earners said the same.

However, unlike general romantic satisfaction, there are other notable demographic gaps present on the romantic effort front, particularly when it comes to generation and gender. 

The former is largely a function of life stage; Gen Zers and millennials are simply more likely to be actively dating and coupling off than their older peers. The gender-based differences, meanwhile, are more nuanced. 

The share of men who said they devote “a lot” or “some” energy to romance every week (63%) is 11 percentage points higher than women (52%). What’s more, close to one-third (28%) of women said they spend no time at all on their romantic lives each week. This data reflects women’s growing disillusionment with dating and relationships (at least in a heterosexual setting) — a trend with implications for all sorts of brands. 

These implications certainly skew more negative for companies explicitly in the business of romance, like dating apps. Previous Morning Consult research found that women regularly have poor experiences with dating apps and are not enthusiastic about using them in the future.

In place of dating, many women are prioritizing friendship, picking up niche hobbies and getting involved in community-building. All of this is giving rise to a new kind of in-real-life (and often female) influencer: local hosts, or people who organize curated events in their areas, from running and book clubs to social craft circles and group cold plunges. Some brands are already starting to find value in partnering with these kinds of organizers, and marketers should expect hyper-local events to be an important frontier for consumer connection for both women and men alike in the coming months and years. 

That said, while gender-specific dating moods are worth monitoring, income level ultimately remains the primary driver of stated romantic outcomes. 

More money, less problems?

When asked about any issues currently impacting their romantic lives, the largest share of U.S. adults (22%) cited a lack of disposable funds, with this figure being inflated and deflated among low earners and high earners, respectively. 

While the divide between “haves” and “have-nots” has existed, this is the latest in a series of Morning Consult research to suggest that such a mood is now at its most intense and tangible. 

But brands should be careful not to fall into the easy trap of focusing too much on the wealthy in this moment.

As with nearly all macro business factors, the economic pendulum is bound to swing back at some point, and more than just a small group of consumers will feel financially (and socially, and emotionally) viable again. Catering too explicitly to ultra-high-earners today may result in lost goodwill among the masses in the future.