Brits Say Meeting The Parents Is Worst First Date Activity
man and woman facing
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Brits Say Meeting The Parents Is Worst First Date Activity

Rachael Grealish March 4, 2022

Meeting the parents, going to a wedding, dating on a video call and getting intimate. What do these things have in common? Brits have agreed these are the worst activities to do on a first date.

First dates are a nerve-wracking experience whether it’s your first dip into the dating pool or your tenth. But no matter what, there are some things you must never do on a first date.

What activities should be avoided on a first date?

According to a recent poll by YouGov, bringing a new potential partner to meet your parents or taking them as a wedding plus-one (where they’d surely meet the family anyway?) are up there as the worst first-date experiences you could subject someone to.

Facetimes a huge no for post-lockdown dates
Photo by Ben Collins on Unsplash

Bringing your date to meet your family, or meeting their family, is the biggest no-no of the 14 date activities the YouGov poll asked Brits.

Around three-quarters (72 per cent) of Britons say this is an unacceptable activity, including a third (35 per cent) who say it is ‘totally unacceptable’.

Other cringe-worthy activities included ‘conducting the entire date over a video call’ (come on we’re not in lockdown anymore), to which 55 per cent of Brits were against this and ‘going to the other person’s home’.

A strange one that had Brits split was ‘doing a physical activity, like a gym class or swimming’.

39 per cent said this activity would be unacceptable. Whereas almost half of those surveyed (49 per cent) said they thought it was fine. I suppose if you see someone at the gym and still fancy them it must be love.

What activities are okay for a first date?

Things like going to the cinema, an art gallery, a pub, for dinner, for a walk or for coffee were all totally acceptable first date activities.

Going for a coffee surveyed the highest, with 93 per cent of Brits saying this was the best option, followed closely by going for a walk. 92 per cent said that was an ideal first date activity.

Coffee dates are viewed as absolutely ideal by Brits
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

What about sex for first date activity?

Brits were also surveyed on the acceptability of getting intimate on a first date and it’s another topic that has us split.

Just a third (36 per cent) of Britons say having sex is acceptable, with half (54 per cent) absolutely disagreeing. Yet one in ten (10 per cent) were on the fence.

Broken down into age groups, 56 per cent of those aged 18-24 thought first date intimacy was acceptable. On the opposite end, only 15 per cent of those aged 60+ would agree.

So if you’re stuck for date ideas, it seems the coffee shop is the best place to start. Just try to avoid suggesting sex after meeting the parents.

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Rachael is the Senior Content Editor at Freshered. She is NCTJ qualified with an MA in journalism. Rachael has almost ten years experience as a journalist in regional, national and international press and is passionate about creating engaging content.