Almost everyone says couples should complement each other
Core finding
Americans put real, if measured, weight on a romantic partner who balances them out. Roughly four-in-ten (39%) say complementarity is moderately important in a partner, and 28% say it is very important, a May 2026 Verasight survey finds.
Strong feelings are rare on either side: just 9% call it extremely important, and 8% say it is not important at all. Another 16% say it is slightly important.
Topline scale
Almost everyone says couples should complement each other.
How important is complementarity (e.g., being dissimilar to your partner in ways that balance each other out) in a romantic relationship partner?
n = 474 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±4.8%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 474 |
| Margin of error | ±4.8% |
| Module | identity |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
How important is complementarity (e.g., being dissimilar to your partner in ways that balance each other out) in a romantic relationship partner?
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=474 US adults age 18+, +/- 4.8%.