The Most Popular (& Effective) Date Ideas, According To Your City

It might seem like a no-brainer that Midwesterners aren't asking potential dates on romantic excursions to the beach. But, The Date Index, a study from online-dating site Zoosk, goes deeper than that. The site compiled over 600,000 user conversations to see what activity was most frequently floated as a first-date idea across seven metropolitan areas in the U.S. Some of the findings make perfect sense: The top date activity overall was dinner, and grabbing a drink was the most popular suggestion among New Yorkers. Of course, what's popular isn't always successful. For instance, getting drinks was suggested the least often in Los Angeles, even though bringing it up there increased the rate of positive responses by six. The same goes for Indianapolis, where the rare asks out to a bar increased responses nearly eightfold. While getting drinks may be the most effective date activity out there, suggesting a coffee date is more successful in Indianapolis than in any of the other cities surveyed. And, in Chicago, the uncommon suggestion of a beach visit (a lake-beach counts, right?) was the most accepted date invite. Sure, it may seem like more of a commitment than grabbing a latte, but it's effective. Check out the chart below for more info on what activity might increase your chances of getting a date in your city.