It’s common wisdom that we guard our money in times of economic stress – but does stinginess of the pocketbook affect generosity of the heart? Zoosk.com, the world’s largest social dating community with more than 50 million users, recently surveyed its members to find out whether continuing economic turmoil has affected their expectations when it comes to dating and love. Zoosk conducted the survey in August 2010 and compared findings to a similar survey it conducted in May 2009. Here are some of the findings:

Women are finding unemployed men more acceptable to date.
With more unemployed men in the dating pool, women are adjusting their expectations.

• 60% of women said they’d date someone unemployed in 2010. This is up from 52% in 2009.
• 90% of men said they’d date someone unemployed in 2010, compared to 92% of men in 2009.

Men are spending more on dates in 2010, while women are being more frugal.
Despite tough economic times, chivalry is not dead.

• 90% of men say they usually pick up the bill on a date, and 52% of men spend more money on the average date in 2010 than they spent in 2009.
• 57% of women spend less on dates in 2010 than they did in 2009.

Free activities are hotter than ever.

• The slow pace of economic recovery has people everywhere saving for a rainy day. Singles are more open than ever before to dates that revolve around a free activity – 92% in 2010, compared to 85% in 2009.

Unemployment honesty is the best policy.

• 83% of men and 93% of women agree that if someone is unemployed, they should reveal it right away. Honesty is the best policy.

The Zoosk poll was conducted online in August 2010 and fielded 1,858 responses from singles in the United States who use Zoosk. Of the respondents, 66% were male and 34% were female. Fifty four percent of the respondents were in their 20s; 20% were in their 30s; 17% were in their 40s and nine percent were 50+.