Is This A Date?

Has this ever happened to you? You're out with a guy or girl and you begin to wonder if it's date or if you're just "hanging out"? Speaking personally, from a single persons point of view, this has happened to me.

Apparently, you and I are not alone in this blurred line of what constitutes as a date or not a date.

According to a survey done by the dating sites of ChristianMingle.com and JDate.com (provided exclusively to USA TODAY), "there's a lot more ambiguity between 'dating' and just 'hanging out' with someone."

Their survey found "that nearly seven in ten singles admit they often don't know if an outing with another person is actually date or not."

The survey of 2,647 singles, ages 18-59, asked for the definition of a date, which 80 percent said is "a planned one-on-one hangout."

However, people also seem to be willing to stretch the definition of a date to their own needs with 24 percent calling it "a planned evening with a group of friends" while 22 percent say "if they ask me out, it's a date."

It's easy to see why people are confused.

Meanwhile, there's also the matter of who should pick up the tab, at least on the first date. Regarding this question, it seems to fall back into traditional roles with 69 percent of men saying they should pay and 55 percent of women agreeing with that assessment.

Yet, almost a quarter of respondents contend that whoever initiated the date should be responsible for paying while 18 percent say "going Dutch" is the preferred option.

Well... I guess we've somewhat uncovered the mystery. I'm not sure if it really answers my question. I guess the next date will tell me. Or I'm just going to have to ask outright.