Valentine's Day is hallmark heaven
• Gender Studies
A mildly amusing look at Valentine's Day from the social scientists at Hallmark Cards.
NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/09/2004 -- According to a new survey from Harlequin Enterprises, Valentine's Day is an important date on the calendar for 68% of North Americans, who usually celebrate with someone special. However, more than three-quarters (76%) say the holiday is too commercial and 61% say there's too much social pressure to celebrate the romantic day.
These are among the results of a new survey, "Valentine's Day," released this February by Harlequin, the leading publisher of romance fiction. The telephone survey was conducted by Lieberman Research Worldwide among 2,035 men and women, 18 and older, in the U.S. and Canada. Key findings of the survey include:
- Let Me Count the Ways: Of the 68% of North Americans who actually celebrate on Valentine's Day, 85% say they buy a card, 75% spring for a gift and 71% have dinner out. Sixty-five percent say they make love; 57% claim a romantic dinner at home is their likely option; and 17% take a romantic trip. Though there's a long-standing association between roses -- especially red ones -- and February 14, just 2% report that they usually send flowers.
- Love & Marriage: Conventional wisdom may hold that the romance wanes after the honeymoon is over, but the Harlequin respondents beg to differ. The survey shows that celebrating with someone special is far more popular among marrieds (81%) than singles (59%).
- It's A Man's World: While women are often thought to be the more romantic sex, Valentine's Day seems to be more important to men, who are more likely to say they celebrate with someone special (73% vs. 64%) and are more likely to buy a gift (84% vs. 66%). And 72% of the men in the survey report love-making as one of their frequent February 14th activities, while just 57% of the women reciprocate.
- Remember Me?: Over half of the men in the survey (54%) agree that "Forgetting Valentine's Day is an almost unforgivable offence in a relationship" versus just 36% of the women. Perhaps that gap is the reason that almost eight in ten (79%) agree that "women should keep in mind that the day is not just for them," a statement that gets the nod more often from women (83%) than men (75%).
- Hallmarks: When it comes to the most popular Valentine's observance, that of buying a card, North Americans opt for humor (48%) most often, followed by sweet and sentimental (30%), sexy and suggestive (7%) and serious (5%). Men are far more likely to want a little humor in their holiday greeting (56% vs. 41% for women), while women are the most likely to prefer a card that's on the sweeter side (41% vs. 18% for men).
- Singles' Night: Bad Valentine's Day behavior seems to be most rampant among the unmarried: 11% admit they've gone out with someone they didn't like just to have a Valentine's date; and 8% say they've broken up with someone just so they didn't have to deal with the romantic event. That's often likely to have been the best option since 17% report that their date "got the wrong idea" about their relationship just because they spent the holiday together.
- All By Myself: If they find themselves without a significant other, what would our respondents do on February 14th? Forty-two percent say they'd go out with a group of friends, making this the most popular option. It's especially favored by singles (52%), those 18-24 (57%) and women (47% vs. 37% of the men). The second most common option for 19% is to "sit home and pout," a more likely choice for men (24% vs. 15% of the women). Asking a friend out on a date is the choice for 9%, slightly more likely to be men (10% vs. 7% of the women). Singles-only options? Going to a singles' night at a club (4%) or taking a specially arranged singles' trip (2%) are, oddly enough, listed as options for a few married rogues, at 3% and 2% respectively.
- It's For You!: When it comes to Valentine's Day gifts, 28% are sentimental, opting for "just my significant other," perhaps not surprisingly a more popular option for the guys (32% vs. 24%) who are less likely to get a gift anyway.
More mercenary selections include tickets to a special event (19%); flowers (19%); jewelry or a watch (11%); an electronic gadget (7%) or perfume/cologne (6%). Flowers and jewelry make the biggest hit with women (30% vs. 7% for men for flowers; 14% vs. 7% for men for jewelry) while tickets and electronics are more favored by men (23% vs. 16% for women for tickets; 12% vs. 2% for women for electronics).
This study is based upon two simultaneous telephone surveys conducted and supervised by Lieberman Research Worldwide: 1,000 interviews in the United States and 1,035 in Canada conducted in August, 2003 among a nationally representative sample of adults 18 years of age and older. The margin of error in total for each sample is +/- 3% and larger for subgroups.