We surveyed more than 250 single adults last week to understand more about how HBO’s Sex and the City influenced dating. Here’s what we learned:
77 percent of singles consider themselves a fan of Sex and the City. 51percent say they are a big fan. Women were more likely than men to say they are a fan.
52 percent of singles say Sex and the City influenced their dating life. 12 percent said it was a negative influence (men were more likely than women to say the influence was negative) and 40 percent said it was a positive influence (women were more likely than men to say the influence was positive).
43 percent plan to see the movie. 37 percent will wait for the DVD. 20 percent won’t see. Women were more than twice as likely as men to say they will go see the movie.
80 percent of singles believe Sex and the City made it more acceptable for women to have fun dating and worry less about finding a committed relationship. Women were more likely than men to believe this.
43 percent of singles believe Sex and the City made it more acceptable for women to be unfaithful in their romantic relationships. Men were more likely than women to believe this.
59 percent say that Sex and the City reminded them how much they rely on their friends for dating advice and perspective. Women were more likely than men to say this.
50 percent believe that women who are big Sex and the City fans are more likely to have sex on a first date. Men were more likely than women to believe this.
51 percent agree with this statement made by Sex and the City character, Samantha Jones: “Who we are in bed is who we are in life. I’ve never met a man who was bad in bed who was good at life.” Men were more likely than women to agree with this statement.
Biggest complaints about the Sex and the City movie (note respondents were able to select all answers that apply):
- There was too much emphasis on being beautiful on the outside and not enough on being beautiful on the inside (25%) (This was women’s biggest complaint)
- Single women became too much like single men (24%)
- Women no longer wanted to commit to the right man when he came along (23%)
- Men suddenly expected all single women to want to have sex without any commitment (22%)
- It promoted promiscuity (21%)
- It wasn’t realistic and didn’t speak to my dating experiences (20%)
- The emotional needs of single men were trivialized (20%) (This was men’s biggest complaint)
36 percent said they borrowed ideas from Sex and the City and used them in their dating life. Women were more likely than men to say this.
Single women most strongly identify with Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw, followed by Charlotte York and then Samantha Jones. Women were the least likely to say they identify with character Miranda Hobbes.
55 percent of single women said Sex and the City influenced them to date more like men date.
44 percent of single women wish they could be Carrie Bradshaw for one day. 35 percent wish they could be Samantha Jones for one day. 11percent wish they could be Miranda Hobbes for one day and 11 percent wish they could be Charlotte York for one day.
86 percent of single women said they socialize with other women friends around sex, romance and dating issues, much like the Sex and the City characters did. 51 percent say they commonly do this.
70 percent of single women say Sex and the City did not influence their shoe purchases. 14 percent say they purchased more shoes as a result of watching the HBO series, and 16 percent say they purchased more expensive or better quality shoes as a result.
Some might say that it’s more likely that Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda will end up being each other’s “soulmates” in life than it is that any man will be their “soulmate.” When women were asked about the role a “soulmate” will play in their own lives:
- 39 percent said they already had or would end up with one (or several) women friends as their “soulmate” in life instead of a man.
When men were asked about their beliefs about Sex and the City (and allowed to select more than one answer):
- 29 percent enjoyed it
- 25 percent say they learned a thing or two about dating women by watching
- 24 percent said it didn’t reflect their lives, or the lives of women they dated
- 24 percent said it gave them an inside look at what women actually do when they get together—talk about men
- 19 percent said it made it a lot easier to get women to sleep with them
- 19 percent said it changed dating, as it gave women permission to play the field
- 17 percent said it made it a lot more challenged to find a single woman who was seeking a lasting, committed relationship
