Debt Could Be a Relationship Deal Breaker

Survey results recently published by Finder.com indicate that 72% of Americans would have to think hard about continuing a romantic relationship if they found out their partner was heavily in debt. Older generations are more accepting of high debt levels, but for Generation Y, debt is generally unacceptable.

Student loan and credit card debt were immediately identified as the two types of debt young people find most off-putting. 59% of Generation Y survey respondents said they would veer away from a potential partner with these two types of debt.

For women, student loan debt topping $55,000 is a deal-breaker. For men, that number is lower at about $40,000. Women find $14,000 in credit card debt unacceptable. Men will tolerate nearly $11,000 of this type of debt. Of all types of debt, the lowest bar is for payday loans. Women will accept $4,619 but men can handle it if their partner has $5,181 in outstanding payday loans. In general, women are more likely to reject a partner with medical bills, home equity loans, auto loans, personal loans, and credit card debt. Men are not commonly tolerant of high student loan debt or mortgage debt.

Overall, the baby boomer generation is most tolerant of debt when evaluating potential partners. While they consider debt a serious issue, they can handle higher numbers when it comes to deciding whether to continue a relationship.

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5 years ago