A new survey of people from 20 countries found that Vietnamese men were the only respondent group that's more likely to value their partner's appearance over their personality.
YouGov, an international market research and data analytics firm based in the UK, recently released the results of their new study, showcasing which attributes people prioritize in a partner.
The survey covered Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Great Britain, Germany, Singapore, Australia, the United States, Egypt, the Philippines, Malaysia, France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
In one of the more intriguing findings, more men from every country except for one - Vietnam - said they "ranked a romantic partner having a personality they liked as more important than them being good looking."
Infographic via YouGov.
Fewer than 50% of male Vietnamese respondents said personality was more important than looks, while this figure was just over 50% in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
On the other end of the spectrum, close to 80% of male respondents from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Great Britain said personality was more preferential than looks.
The majority of women from every nation involved in the survey favored personality over looks in a partner.
In a separate, more detailed breakdown of the data featuring more personal traits, 44% of Vietnamese men said that the top quality they seek in a romantic partner is good looks. A favorable personality came second at 32%. At the other end of the scale, only 11% of Danish men prioritize good looks.
Meanwhile at least 50% of women from nine of the countries in question chose personality as the characteristic they favor most, with Sweden leading the way at 73%.
In this area, however, Vietnamese women didn't fare much better than men: 33% of local women said personality was their most important characteristic. The remaining female respondents spread their answers fairly evenly between sense of humor, intelligence, similar interests and looks.
Infographics via YouGov.
However, YouGov also noted that its survey was based entirely online and "in many of the countries the internet penetration is low to the point where the sample can only be said to be representative to the online population." Vietnam is among these, along with Egypt, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand.
In other survey news, a just-released study of 38 countries from Pew Research Center shows that people living in Vietnam are much happier with life today than in the past. According to the data, 88% of Vietnamese respondents believe life in the country is better today than it was 50 years ago, while only 4% think it is worse. These are the highest and lowest figures, respectively, in the report.
The median figures in the study are 43% better and 38% worse, with Venezuela coming in as the least happy with the present situation.
[Top photo via Vietnam Travel Magazine]
