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Valentine’s Day is coming up this weekend, and it’s got us thinking about love and human connection, and the possible differences between how regions and cultures can affect the way we approach dating. If you’re curious too, we have good news: Time Out has conducted a global survey with thousands of respondents, and we are ready to spill the tea where 16 cities in the Asia-Pacific region stand against each other in the realms of dating, sex, and connections. Read on for the results!
On attractiveness
It might come as some surprise that leading the entire group of Asian cities is our sister SAR Macau. Despite Hong Kong being three times as big as Macau in land area, and housing 10 to 11 times Macau’s population size, our 720,000-strong Macanese neighbours sure have been keeping way busier. The disparities don’t seem to hinge on attractiveness: Macau residents reported noticing someone attractive approximately 10 times per month, while Hongkongers don’t trail that far behind with attractiveness noted approximately seven times per month.
On flirting and dating
The rest of the survey seems to indicate that the issue with Hongkongers lies with being less proactive after spotting someone attractive. People from Macau reported flirting with someone 10 times per month, while Hong Kong is at the bottom of the pack, only flirting 2.9 times per month on average. It seems that we’re a shy bunch when it comes to approaching people we find attractive!
Hong Kong respondents also reported going on dates only three times per month on average, while Macanese residents are dating close to 12 nights per month. 12 other APAC cities separate the ranking gap between Macau and Hong Kong, with locales like Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Taipei, Beijing, Seoul, and more all getting more dating action than Hong Kong. Only Singapore and Kyoto rank even lower than us, reporting a monthly dating frequency of three and two nights, respectively.
On nights out and sex
When asked about how often they have a night out that might lead to romance, Macau once again tops the charts, having a very respectable 11 nights per month with potential romantic partners. In stark contrast, Hongkongers only have the same kind of nights out on an average of 1.9 times per month. The only city ranking lower than us in this category is Singapore, but that’s hardly any consolation. We have all these world-renowned bars and nightlife spots to choose from, and we’re just squandering them? Shame on us!
Finally, when it comes to getting down and dirty, Hong Kong rises slightly higher in the group of 16 cities to reach rank 13, reporting having sex 3.2 times per month on average. If you’ve read this far, it should come as no surprise at this point that yes, it is once again the randy people of Macau who top the list, making beds rock 9.2 times per month on average. The Thai capital of Bangkok comes as a close second at nine times per month, followed by the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur at 6.7 times per month. In contrast, the cities that are getting laid the least are all Japanese: Osaka at three times, Tokyo at 2.6 times, and Kyoto at two times per month.
So what’s the takeaway here? It seems that the average Hongkonger does come across people they consider attractive often enough, but they just don’t follow through with approaching and flirting with them, let alone taking people out on dates and fun nights out that generate sexual chemistry. Whether this behaviour is due to inherent shyness, lack of confidence, or baked-in cultural ideas is unclear for now, but obviously, this all means we are having way less sex compared to most of our Asian neighbours!
Of course, not everything is a competition, but it’s worth remembering that emotional and sexual connections are such a human and important part of our existence. Flirting, attractive tension, and romantically ambiguous nights out can be so much fun, and if your obsession with Korean romance dramas are anything to go by, you already know this, Hong Kong! Let’s all unclench a little, let go of the more prudish societal ideologies, and go have fun this Valentine’s Day!
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