What matters more—freedom or money? Do we give our partners the independence in relationships that we seek ourselves? These are some of the questions that a new study by OkCupid, an international dating platform, seeks to answer. Through an in-app questionnaire, the platform asked its Indian users what freedom means to them. While 39 per cent of the millennials defined freedom as financial independence, 65 per cent chose freedom over money. 68 per cent of the Indians strongly believed in allowing their partners freedom in a relationship, and 73 per cent of the users considered themselves strong, independent individuals.
A sizeable chunk of users wanted their own bank accounts to enjoy financial freedom in a long-term relationship, as opposed to 27 per cent users, who would not mind having a joint account with their partner.
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It is not just about love and money that the millennials have a strong opinion about. They are extremely vocal about social and political activism, freedom of press and religion, and more. In fact, the study found that 90 per cent of the users rated freedom of press as important. A majority also believed in the ideal of ‘Live and Let Live’, and that there need to be laws to explicitly protect religious freedoms.
When asked if freedom of speech should allow for all viewpoints, including the extreme and widely-offensive ones, 58 per cent users answered in the affirmative. 34 per cent users believed that their identity was completely independent of their heritage. According to Sitara Menon, senior marketing manager, OkCupid, the way millennial Indians perceive freedom extends to their relationships as well, “with concepts around how to ‘behave’ in a relationship and outdated ideas of control being challenged. Nuances like these inform compatibility and become that much more important in a quest for love.”
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