Drinking habits have become a criterion for choosing a romantic partner. Seven in 10 women said frequent drinking lowers their interest in someone they otherwise like, though alcohol has not disappeared from dating.
Among 1,320 users surveyed by the social dating app WIPPY on drinking and dating culture, 71.3% of women said their interest in an appealing partner declines if the person drinks often, the company said on the 22nd. That was 8.9 percentage points higher than for men, at 62.4%.
A total of 91.1% of respondents said drinking habits matter when choosing a partner. Those who called it "very important" accounted for 59.7% of women and 37% of men, about 1.6 times as many women.
The reasons had less to do with alcohol itself than with what comes with it. The most common concern, cited by 69.3%, was that drinking gatherings would be too frequent, followed by worries about behavior after drinking (54.9%) and about the person being hard to reach (45.8%).
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Preferences also diverged. Among women, 65.9% said they most preferred someone who drinks lightly only on special occasions or when they have plans, compared with 49.8% of men. Those who wanted no alcohol or only one or two drinks on a blind date or first date made up 53.5% of women and 36.9% of men. Of respondents who preferred alcohol-free meetings, 62.8% said they wanted to get to know the other person properly while sober.
Many are also cutting back. Half of respondents, or 50.3%, said they had reduced how much or how often they drink compared with the past. The most cited reason, at 51.2%, was the effect on the next day's routine or work, followed by self-care such as exercise and dieting (40.1%) and health (37.3%).
Even so, alcohol has not dropped out of dating. Bars and pubs were chosen as a first-meeting venue by 47.3% of respondents, and bars and pubs were also the most preferred second stop for spending more time with someone they liked, at 57.3%. That suggests people are moderating their drinking to suit the mood and the situation rather than quitting.
The survey covered only WIPPY users, however, making it difficult to generalize to public attitudes nationwide. National statistics are not straightforward either. In an analysis of the 2025 Community Health Survey released on July 27, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency put the monthly drinking rate among adults at 57.1%, the monthly binge drinking rate at 33.7% and the high-risk drinking rate at 12.0%.
All three indicators bottomed out in 2021 and have since turned higher, though they remain below pre-pandemic levels. Drinking among men declined, while binge drinking and high-risk drinking rose among women in their 30s and older. The monthly binge drinking rate was the fifth highest among 27 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The upshot is that frequent, heavy drinking is increasingly seen as a drawback in a partner, even as drinking occasions themselves show little sign of disappearing. Preferences are tilting toward moderation while a binge drinking culture persists.