What goals or experiences do you really want to achieve in a partnership? Have children, discover the world, be free and independent? For the ElitePartner study 2024, 6,200 singles and romantic partners were surveyed online. “The new ideals bring with them some surprises,” says the statement.
Number 1: Growing old together – without obligations
The most important goal in a relationship: that love lasts. At least that’s how 8 out of 10 people in Germany see it. They strive for a sustainable relationship and ideally want to grow old together (82 percent). And this growing old should be as carefree as possible, because 73 percent of those surveyed value living freely and independently as a couple.
Sharing an apartment is not a must for everyone: only two thirds of women (66 percent) and three quarters of men (74 percent) think it is important to share their own four walls with their partner. However, there are big differences between singles and couples: those who are currently in a relationship usually find it important to live with this person (84 percent). On the other hand, respondents who are currently single are much more flexible: only 44 percent of singles feel that sharing an apartment is essential for a potential relationship.
Travel and culture are more important than children and weddings
A look at the overall results shows something astonishing: While 7 out of 10 respondents want to discover the world together in a relationship and 64 percent want to experience culture together, the values for “classic” relationship goals such as starting a family (48 percent) and getting married (46 percent) are significantly higher underneath.
However, a look at the age groups shows that older respondents place less value on these “classic” relationship milestones – possibly because they have already experienced them or classify them differently looking back. And: Those who are currently in a relationship find these goals more important (children: 59 percent, marriage: 58 percent) than those who are single (children: 27 percent, marriage: 24 percent).
Psychologist Fischbach: “Couples can choose more freely today”
“The relationship landscape is becoming more diverse,” says qualified psychologist and ElitePartner expert Lisa Fischbach, explaining the results. “Although the desire for a long, stable relationship into old age is still the No. 1 romantic ideal – it turns out that people want to enjoy many more degrees of freedom in their relationships and rigid life plans have become less attractive.”
And further: “With an increasing variety of equal relationship designs, couples can choose more freely what best suits their happiness together.”
All results at a glance:
4 relationship goals remain consistently important regardless of age
It’s still exciting to look at the age comparison: Do younger people have different goals in a relationship than older respondents? The results show that four important relationship goals persist throughout life:
grow old together as a couple, live freely and independently, experience culture together, have a large circle of friends
All of these ideals are shared equally by different age groups and generations. However, younger people usually find the remaining goals more important than older people. Gen Y and Gen Z in particular are similar. There are only differences when it comes to the topic of getting married and buying real estate, i.e. classic questions of security and stability: both are more important to the younger Gen Z (marriage: 60 percent, real estate: 55 percent) than to the Millennials (marriage: 52 percent, real estate: 49 percent). ).