With money at the root of a lot of relationship issues, it’s no surprise that most people won’t swipe right on a date with bad credit.
More than one-third, or 38%, of adults would reconsider a romantic relationship because of the other person’s debt, a 12% jump from a year ago, according to a recent study by personal finance site Finder.com.
In the wake of the Covid crisis, singles are looking for a partner in good financial standing, the report found. However, the type of debt was also a factor.
More from Personal Finance:
Here’s how much you need to earn to afford a house
Americans are more in debt than ever
How much money do you need to retire? Start with $1.7 million
These days, significant debt is harder to avoid, particularly among those just starting out. Most would forgive at least some student debt, although the amount varies by generation.
Millennials said a balance over $12,000 was too much, while Gen X considered $15,000 unacceptable and baby boomers would be understanding of as much as $34,000 in student loans. (In fact, about 7 in 10 college seniors graduate in the red, owing about $30,000 per borrower.)
In general, most people are OK with certain types of borrowing, especially when it comes to securing a house or a car. Post-pandemic, many people were also more forgiving of medical debt.
Credit card debt, however, was considered the most unacceptable, followed by loans from friends or family and high-interest payday loans.
But how much debt is a deal breaker? Overall, men are willing to be with a partner who owes up to about $40,000, Finder found. The cutoff for women is lower: just over $34,000.
Finder surveyed more than 1,600 adults in the U.S. in January.
