Comparing the characteristics of mate preference between China and Hungary

This study assessed the applicability of the Mate Preference Scale (MPS) across different populations and compared the characteristics of mate preferences among individuals from various cultural backgrounds and genders. A total of 924 Chinese participants (30.33 ± 5.67 years; 52.3 % men) and 12,074 Hungarian participants (30.69 ± 8.86 years; 50.9 % men) were recruited online to evaluate the suitability of the MPS for the Chinese population using confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance tests. Subsequent network analysis revealed how mate preferences between China and Hungary differ. The findings indicated that the MPS was almost consistent and applicable across cultures. Dominance emerged as the most influential factor in the mate preferences plot for both the Chinese and Hungarian samples. Both countries showed three similar mate preference communities represented as “good parents,” “good genes,” and “good resources,” but with the notable difference that dominance was categorized under “good parents” in the Chinese context and “good resources” in the Hungarian context. Moreover, descriptive and network analysis both indicated that gender differences were more pronounced in Hungary than in China.