INTERPERSONAL ATTRACTION AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AMONG YOUNG ADULTS (MALE AND FEMALE)

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between an individual’s socioeconomic status and their personal preference for attractive traits, which consisted of social, physical, and task attractiveness. The sample n=40 consisted of both male and female aged between 18 to 28 years; they were of the high and middle social class. Each of the approached individuals was asked for verbal consent before beginning the survey. The instruments used were McCroskey and McCain’s (1974) interpersonal attraction scale and a demographic information form. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between SES and the three types of attraction and that social attraction was most likely to be preferred by those with high incomes, whereas their lower counterparts were to demand more task-attraction traits. Physical attractiveness was hypothesized to be equally important for both groups. The collected data was analyzed with the help of SPSS 27.0 and was run through a correlation analysis and an independent sample t-test. The results yielded no significant relationship between the determinants of SES education and monthly income and the three types of attraction; either of the two groups prefers one type of attraction over the other. Results also affirmed the idea that both groups equally valued their partner’s physical attractiveness.