Sitting through a bad date is no one’s idea of fun, but Britons will tolerate one for nearly an hour before making their excuses to leave, a new study has found.
Although the study learnt that it takes daters only 25 minutes to discern whether a date is going well or badly, it takes Britons an average of 51 minutes to leave.
More than half of respondents (58 per cent) said they sat through the entirety of a terrible date because they felt they needed to be polite (72 per cent), or they thought it might get better (37 per cent).
More than a third (36 per cent) said they didn’t feel comfortable saying anything about the quality of the date.
When it comes to making excuses to leave a date going downhill, the study, commissioned by breakdown provider Britannia Rescue, some daters said they have resorted to asking friends to phone them with a fake emergency.
Others feign a headache or say their pet is ill in order to get out mid-date.
For those who have cancelled a date before it happens, the top excuses include a work emergency, unwell relatives, broken-down cars or getting stuck in traffic.
Reasons a date has not gone well include the potential romance being rude (48 per cent) and checking their phone constantly (37 per cent).
An awkward atmosphere during the date was also cited by more than a third (36 percent) of respondents as a reason for making an excuse and leaving the date.
The research also revealed about a fifth (23 per cent) of respondents admitted they “ghosted” someone by going no-contact with them before a date.
In addition, three in 10 people said they have experienced being stood up.
Fewer than half (48 per cent) prefer to be honest and tell the other person about their reasons for wanting to leave a date or cancelling altogether.
For Valentine’s Day, Brittania Rescue teamed up with Denise Van Outen to launch a Dateside Rescue Hotline in order to help those who find themselves in a bad date get out of it quickly.
