Research: Loving Brits share house keys before Netflix passwords
September 17, 2019
From saying “I love you” for the first time, to moving in together and starting a family, couples progress through a series of milestones that show increasing amounts of commitment. But now there’s a new landmark for loyalty – the day you’re prepared to hand over your Netflix password.
New research from property sellers’ website Good Move has revealed that Britons are so reluctant to share their Netflix account that they would sooner share the keys to their house.
The study questioned 2,000 UK adults in relationships and found that on average, Brits wait 11 months and three days before giving their partner a key to their property. This is over four months quicker than the time people wait before allowing each other use of their Netflix account.
With an average wait of one year, three months and nine days, this is the same length of time that couples take before feeling comfortable enough to book a holiday together far in advance.
The relationship milestones which Brits, on average, take the longest to reach are:
- Starting a family – 2 years, 2 months, 21 days
- Buying a property – 2 years, 1 month, 18 days
- Marriage/civil partnership – 2 years, 1 month, 12 days
- Owning a pet – 1 year, 9 months, 15 days
- Getting a joint bank account – 1 year, 7 months, 21 days
- Sharing a Netflix account – 1 year, 3 months, 9 days
= Booking a holiday together far in advance – 1 year, 3 months, 9 days
- Renting a property – 1 year, 2 months, 27 days
- Going on your first holiday together – 11 months, 3 days
= Giving each other keys to your respective homes – 11 months, 3 days
- Saying ‘I love you’ for the first time – 5 months, 6 days
- Showing public displays of affection – 3 months, 18 days
Women are less trusting than men with their Netflix accounts, as they delay around one month longer before allowing their partners access.
In terms of cities, the people of Norwich guard their passwords the closest, waiting one year, ten months and nine days before sharing. Lovers in the Norfolk city are quicker to set up a joint bank account and get a pet together than they are to share login details.
At the other end of the scale, couples in the northwest city of Manchester are the most generous, as they share Netflix accounts after being together for just one year and 12 days.
“Giving someone a key to your house is a huge point in a relationship as it shows a lot of trust and commitment, so it was interesting to see that Brits are happy to do so earlier than they are prepared to share streaming services,” commented Ross Counsell, Director at Good Move. “Our research also found that young Brits now consider buying a house as a couple to be a bigger commitment than marriage, which further shows how relationship milestones are changing.”