Love is in the air, and so is the bill: 13pc of Malaysian men willing to go into debt for dates

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — For some Malaysian men, keeping the romance alive could mean stretching their wallets — and a new study suggests some are even willing to go into debt for a date.

According to research by Legasi Research, men continue to shoulder most dating expenses, with 59.3 per cent saying they usually pay the entire bill, compared with just 8.2 per cent of women.

“The data shows that the majority of men still bear the dating expenses, highlighting a strong adherence to traditional gender roles in courtship,” Legasi Research economic researcher Firdzan Nur Yassin, said today in a news conference here to present the findings.

Dinner dates and the price of romance

Shopping malls remain a popular dating destination, with 44.1 per cent of respondents saying they frequent them, while 42.8 per cent opt for cafes or restaurants.

Food and drinks are the biggest expense, cited by 92.8 per cent of respondents, while a typical date costs between RM51 and RM200.

But the bill is not always easy to swallow, with 49.3 per cent of respondents describing dating costs as “expensive”.

Men also appear more likely to feel the financial strain, with 27.5 per cent reporting pressure from dating expenses, compared with 16.4 per cent of women.

Picking up the tab — and taking turns

The findings suggest that splitting costs is more common among women, with 50.8 per cent saying they take turns paying and 32.8 per cent saying their partner usually covers the bill.

For men, the willingness to spend more appears tied to keeping a relationship going, with 79.1 per cent saying they would increase their spending to maintain their romantic connection.

First dates can bring added pressure to impress, with 59.3 per cent of men saying they are willing to spend more on them, compared with 23 per cent of women.

That willingness, however, has its limits — or at least it can come at a cost.

The study found that 13.2 per cent of men were willing to incur debt for a date, compared with 4.9 per cent of women.

Young hearts, tight budgets

The survey respondents were largely young, with 43.4 per cent aged between 18 and 24, while 53.3 per cent lived in Selangor or Kuala Lumpur.

A substantial proportion reported monthly incomes below RM3,000, making regular dating another expense to juggle alongside everyday living costs.

Most respondents said they went on dates at least once a month, adding to the pressure on those trying to balance their love lives with their budgets.

The research used random sampling to collect 160 surveys nationwide, of which 152 were deemed suitable for analysis.

Thirty per cent of respondents were married, with the researchers including their outings in the definition of “dating” to capture a broader picture of romantic spending.

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吉隆坡，10 月 27 日——对于一些马来西亚男性来说，维持浪漫关系可能意味着要花大价钱——一项新的研究表明，有些人甚至愿意为了约会而负债。

根据 Legasi Research 的研究，男性仍然承担大部分约会费用，59.3% 的男性表示他们通常会支付全部费用，而只有 8.2% 的女性会这样做。

“数据显示，大多数男性仍然承担约会费用，这凸显了恋爱中对传统性别角色的强烈坚持，” Legasi Research 的经济研究员 Firdzan Nur Yassin 今天在新闻发布会上公布研究结果时表示。

晚餐约会和浪漫的代价

购物中心仍然是热门的约会场所，44.1% 的受访者表示他们经常去那里，而 42.8% 的人则选择去咖啡馆或餐馆。

92.8% 的受访者表示，餐饮是最大的开销，而一次典型的约会花费在 51 马币到 200 马币之间。

但这项开支并不总是容易让人接受，49.3% 的受访者认为约会费用“昂贵”。

男性似乎也更容易感受到经济压力，27.5% 的男性表示约会费用给他们带来了压力，而女性的这一比例为 16.4%。

轮流买单

调查结果表明，分摊费用在女性中更为普遍，50.8% 的女性表示她们会轮流付款，32.8% 的女性表示她们的伴侣通常会支付账单。

对于男性而言，他们是否愿意花更多钱似乎与维持一段感情有关，79.1% 的男性表示，他们会为了维持恋爱关系而增加支出。

第一次约会可能会带来额外的压力，让人想要给对方留下好印象。59.3% 的男性表示他们愿意在第一次约会上花更多的钱，而只有 23% 的女性表示愿意这样做。

然而，这种意愿也是有限度的——或者至少是要付出代价的。

研究发现，13.2% 的男性愿意为了约会而负债，而女性的这一比例为 4.9%。

年轻的心，有限的预算

调查对象大多为年轻人，43.4% 的人年龄在 18 至 24 岁之间，53.3% 的人居住在雪兰莪州或吉隆坡。

相当一部分受访者表示，他们的月收入低于 3000 令吉，因此，除了日常生活开支外，定期约会也是一项需要兼顾的额外支出。

大多数受访者表示他们每月至少约会一次，这给那些试图平衡爱情生活和预算的人带来了更大的压力。

该研究采用随机抽样方法，在全国范围内收集了 160 份调查问卷，其中 152 份被认为适合进行分析。

30% 的受访者已婚，研究人员将他们的外出活动纳入“约会”的定义中，以更全面地了解浪漫消费情况。

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