DENVER — If travel nurse Alexis Matthew crossed paths with sprinkler company owner Alex Walker on a dating app, it’s likely they wouldn’t find much in common.

“I’m 28 years old. I moved here a year ago,” said Matthew. “I mostly use dating apps, occasionally meeting in the wild, but mostly dating apps.”

Matthew is more liberal while Walker is more conservative.

“In January, I’m joining the National Guard and being sent to basic training,” Walker said.

But one thing they have in common is that both are finding it increasingly difficult to find a match due to political differences with potential partners.

Research shows a trend where young men and women are drifting apart politically, and many are unwilling to bridge the ideological divide.

“It doesn’t help me if I don’t agree with them politically,” Matthew said.

“It’s been a little difficult trying to find women who are more conservative and have the same beliefs (I have),” Walker added.

The growing gender gap

When it comes to Generation Z, a recent Gallup poll showed that women are moving politically to the left, while men are moving to the right.

A 2023 survey from the American Enterprise Institute showed that 46% of white GenZ women are liberal, while only 28% of men identify as liberal.

Gallup

Jeremy Castle, an associate professor of political science at Metropolitan State University in Denver, said there has been a significant shift since former President Donald Trump entered the political arena.

“Only in the last decade — with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the election of Donald Trump and the Women’s March — have we seen social issues play a larger role in these differences between men and men. women in politics,” Castle said.

We are not bridging the gap

These differences are the focus of dating apps, which reports that more people are sorting matches by political affiliation.

Matthew, who doesn’t list his political affiliation on dating apps, is one of those people who uses this tactic. She said LGBTQ rights and access to abortion.

“But I judge people by what they put (on the app),” Matthew said. “If they put ‘conservative’ on their dating app and they look conservative…I’m not going to match with them.”

She is in good company: a 2023 poll shows that 65% of Democrats said they would be less likely to date a Republican, and 62% of Republicans polled said they would be less likely to date a Democrat.

Alex Walker sort of falls into that group. He said he would consider dating a liberal woman.

“It’s hard to find conservative women right now,” Walker said.

He said he recently spoke with a woman who identified herself as a liberal and appeared to be a strong feminist.

“And I felt kind of useless in the relationship,” he said.

Looking beyond labels

The bottom line, according to University of Denver research professor Galena Rhoades, is that there is an imbalance with many people unwilling to cross party lines directly.

“It’s really become a business for people,” said Rhoades, who studies what makes couples work.

She cautions that political labels may not always reflect real values.

“What we end up highlighting in dating apps, in particular, might not be the things that matter most,” Rhodes said. “So you can say, ‘I’m not going to date anyone under 6 feet tall,’ when in fact, if you met someone who was 5 feet 6 (inches) in person, they might fit very well. for you, but you’re missing out if you don’t give that person an opportunity to really connect and understand who you are at your core.”

Rhoades said research shows that people who identify the same way politically tend to have less marital conflict, but there are many other factors, such as how you handle differences and communicate, that influence how happy a couple is or if they stay together

Agree to disagree?

But for many people it’s more complicated than agreeing to disagree.

“I’m like you can disagree but you can still be friends,” Matthew said. “But if my brother ever wants to get married, and you’re trying to prevent that from happening, then that’s a bigger problem for me, and it’s not something I disagree with.”

Walker agreed that it is an issue of deeply held beliefs that affects families.

“I’m a Christian and I believe what the Bible says,” he said. “If we have men who are too feminine, then nothing will get done. You won’t have strong families.”

However, it is also important to remember that people can change their minds. Research shows that married couples tend to become closer ideologically, Castle said.

An MSU Denver student said his now-wife has been a major influence on his politics.

“Actually, it was my wife who pulled me to the left. I was probably more of a centre-right conservative,” said Allan Ash. “Sometimes they’re right, and sometimes you’re right.”

Denver7