Every romantic relationship is different. While some partners enjoy integrating their friend groups, others prefer to keep their social lives more separate. This is evident in the data, as just 21% of Americans tell CivicScience they are best friends with their spouse’s best friends (among those with an opinion). In contrast, 38% say they are best friends with some of them, and 41% say they’re not best friends with their partner’s friends at all. 

Men are more likely than women to say they’re best friends with their spouse’s friends (23% vs 19%), and Gen Z outpace all other age ranges by at least seven percentage points when it comes to befriending their spouse’s friends. However, this demographic data is just the start of what makes those who befriend their spouses friends–and those who do not–a distinct group of consumers. 

Here’s what the data show about those who are best friends with their spouse’s best friends and those who are not: 

Discount Hunters: Those who consider themselves best friends with their spouse’s best friends are the most likely to have used online discount sites such as Rakuten and Ibotta, outpacing all others by at least nine percentage points. 

Social Consciousness: While more than half (56%) of those who are best friends with their spouse’s friends say they research brands’ stances on social issues, just 42% of those who are friends with ‘some’ of their spouse’s friends and 38% of those who are not best friends with their spouse’s friends, say the same. 

Splurging Categories: Those who are not friends with their spouse’s friends are the most likely to splurge on physical items (52%), outpacing those who are best friends with their spouse’s friends by eight percentage points (52% vs 44%) (among those who splurge, excluding ‘other’). 

Sleep Habits: Those who are best friends with their spouse’s friends demonstrate the most polarized sleep habits. They outpace all others who get six hours of sleep or less per night by at least eight percentage points. Although a slightly smaller lead, they also outpace all others who get eight hours or more of sleep per night by at least three percentage points. 

Communication Style: While 45% of those who are best friends with their spouse’s friends communicate most with friends and family via phone calls, just 34% of those who are not friends with their spouse’s friends say the same.

Clearly, befriending a spouse’s friends–or not–is more than just a choice that impacts a social calendar, it’s a lifestyle choice that creates a ripple effect across a variety of spending categories. 

Love taking polls? Sign up to participate in the Poll of the Day here.

This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.