The younger generation has frequently been accused of abandoning traditional values, but a new survey shows that there is at least one area of life where that is certainly not true…
A poll of 2,000 married Americans across the country conducted by JamesAllen.com, the fastest growing online diamond bridal jewelry retailer, has found that marriage proposals are more traditional than ever, with millennials more than twice as likely as over-45s to have had a proposal where the person proposing got down on one knee – and one in three dubbing it to be an extremely important part of the proposal.
While maintaining traditions, millennials were still three times more likely to buy their engagement ring online versus those over 45 (14% v 4%) and they were also more opinionated when it came to whether they would change anything about the ring in hindsight.
Millennials were also more likely to have had a religious element to their proposal – such as a mention of God, a religious setting, or a religious day than those over 45 had when proposing – according to results.
It was even far more likely for younger people to follow the rule of asking a parent’s permission before popping the question, with a whopping 63 percent of young people saying they did so, in comparison to a measly 20 percent of those over 45.
Younger people are also twice as likely to see seeking permission as an extremely important part of popping the question.
Oded Edelman, CEO and Co-Founder of JamesAllen.com, said: “Millennials may be more likely to honor ‘traditional’ proposal customs than one might expect but they add personal touches where it matters.
“This validates what we’ve seen working with hundreds of thousands of couples at JamesAllen.com who like personalizing their proposal to make it their own and designing the perfect, one-of-a-kind engagement ring online.”
Of course, not all differences are down to becoming more traditional, such as the cost of the engagement ring, which is considerably higher among the younger responders. However, young people were twice as likely as older people to say that spending at least a month’s worth of wages on the engagement ring is ‘extremely’ important.
In fact, those between 18 and 34 thought the ring should cost an average of two and a half month’s rent, while those over 45 thought just over one and a half months would do the trick.
There does seem to be a geographical divide when it comes to cost though, as people living in the Northeast reported spending twice as much on their engagement rings than those living in the Southwest.
And as the price of the ring goes up, the proposals are getting bigger and more elaborate, with 42 percent of younger people saying that they made sure there was something unique or different about their proposal – such as putting together a video presentation or travelling to a faraway destination – as opposed to just 15 percent of older people.
The average millennial planned their proposal for nine weeks and six days, while people 45 and over took an average of six weeks and three days.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that 18-34 year olds were more than twice as likely to say that it is extremely important for a proposal to be unique and meticulously planned.
And it seems all that planning eventually pays off, as more young people reported being happy with their partner’s final ring selection than those over 45.
The younger the respondent, the more likely they are to have had a public proposal, with 77 percent of those over 45 having had their moment in private, as opposed to just 55 percent of millennials.
In fact, millennials were twice as likely to have had a proposal that wasn’t only public, but was also in front of lots of strangers.
More than 60 percent of those over 45 also thought that that the proposal should be a private moment between two people, as opposed to just a 37 percent of younger people.
Of course, those between 18 and 34 were more than eight times more likely to have shared news of their engagement on social media – with more than half admitting to having done so within just a few hours of the proposal.
When asking the question, did whoever was proposing get down on one knee?
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Yes 75% 64.12% 61.50% 40.67% 20.54%
No 25% 35.88% 38.50% 59.33% 79.46%
Was there a religious element in your proposal at all?
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
There was no religious component at all
67.86% 73.24% 77.97% 84.69% 83.57%
Did you ask permission from someone close to your partner before the proposal? (I.e. asking your partner's dad for his blessing etc.)
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Yes 57.14% 68.97% 49.62% 22.95% 17.30%
No 42.86% 31.03% 50.38% 77.05% 82.70%
END