Attraction Poll

So, What Does It For You? We Asked, Boston Answered…

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To find out how Bostonians define attractiveness, we created a 30-point survey with the help of Babson College statistics professor I. Elaine Allen. Along with posting it on our website, we dispatched pollsters across the Hub to interview people at T stops, coffee shops, and the occasional happy hour. Finally, we partnered with Cambridge-based dating website OkCupid, which hosted our poll on its home page. All told, we collected more than 1,100 responses—and plenty of eye-opening insight.

MALE	39.0%
FEMALE	61.0%
AGE
18-25	38.2%
26-35	32.5%
36-40	8.0%
41-50	12.0%
51-60	7.4%
61+	1.9%
LIVE IN
Boston/Brookline/Cambridge/Somerville	61.7%
MetroWest	13.0%
North Shore	7.6%
South Shore	8.7%
Other	9.0%

MET CURRENT PARTNER AT
Work	8.6%
Party	5.2%
Restaurant/Bar	4.6%
Church	1.1%
Gym	0.7%
Through a mutual friend	11.0%
Through an online dating site	7.3%
I do not currently have a partner	49.0%
Other	12.5%
INTERESTED IN
MEN	62.0%
WOMEN	38.0%

 

What’s Most Attractive in Women?
Quality or trait
Looks	24.3%
Personality	52.3%
Intelligence	15.1%
Empathy	3.3%
Other	5.0%
Hair color
Black	19.4%
Brown	46.0%
Blond	22.1%
Red	12.1%
Gray/white	0.4%
Hair length
Very short	2.2%
Short	13.4%
Shoulder-length	50.8%
Long	33.6%
Hair type
Curly	19.7
Straight	80.3
Eye color
Brown	20.3%
Blue	43.6%
Green	25.3%
Hazel	10.8%
Skin tone
Very pale	2.7%
Pale	23.1%
Medium/olive	52.6%
Dark	4.3%
Very dark	0.2%
Doesn’t matter	17.1%
Nose shape
Small and upturned	38.3%
Small and straight	45.9%
Long and upturned	3.1%
Long and straight	12.7%
Face shape
Round	20.4%
Oval	67.7%
Square	4.0%
Heart-shaped	7.9%
Lips
Very thin	0.6%
Thin	7.9%
Medium	51.2%
Full	37.7%
Very full
Height
Less than 5′	1.4%
5′-5’4″	29.5%
5’4″-5’8″	54.3%
5’8″-6′	13.8%
More than 6′	1.0%
Body type
Very thin	3.5%
Thin	38.7%
Medium build	46.8%
Full-figured/curvy	10.6%
Very full-figured	0.4%
Body part
Legs	29.9%
Chest	14.6%
Shoulders/back	7.3%
Hands	3.7%
Butt	28.5%
Other	16.0%
Peak age
In their 20s	59.6%
In their 30s	31.8%
In their 40s	7.0%
In their 50s or older	1.6%
Clothes
Jeans and a T-shirt	46.2%
Khakis and a sweater	7.2%
Trendy ensembles	33.9%
High-fashion	5.0%
Evening gown	7.7%
Eyeglasses
Turn-on	72.9%
Turn-off	27.1%
Education
High school diploma	6.7%
Bachelor’s degree	49.6%
Advanced degree	10.4%
Does not matter	33.3%
Alma mater
Boston University	10.0%
Harvard	12.4%
MIT	8.1%
Northeastern	4.6%
Doesn’t matter	56.2%
Boston College	0.2%
Other	8.5%
Job
Doctor	12.0%
Lawyer	4.9%
Banker/finance	5.3%
Artist	18.9%
Writer	13.6%
Musician	8.3%
Chef	7.7%
Bartender/waiter	4.9%
Politician (not an opt. online)	1.2%
Nonprofit employee	8.8%
Police officer/firefighter	0.8%
Other	13.6%
Interests
Outdoors	13.2%
Literature	8.9%
Art	11.5%
Music	18.0%
Sports	12.1%
Technology	6.1%
Movies	6.5%
Food	9.6%
Politics	5.6%
Charity work	3.3%
Nightlife	5.2%
Pets
Dogs	29.7%
Cats	9.0%
Both	16.7%
Doesn’t matter	44.6%
Red Sox mania
Turn-on	37.0%
Turn-off	63.0%
Boston accent
Turn-on	30.0%
Turn-off	70.0%
Have you ever cheated?
Yes	32.8%
No	70.0%
What constitutes cheating? (Can choose 1+)
Amorous feelings	6.9%
Face-to-face flirting	7.2%
Online flirting	9.6%
Kissing	37.3%
Physical intimacy beyond kissing	37.9%
Other	1.1%

SEE THE RESULTS FOR MEN