Is Valentine’s Day Still Relevant?

Posted on February 3rd, 2021 in News, Surveys

What is your first thought when you think of Valentine’s Day? Do visions of cinnamon hearts, chocolates, and flowers dance through your head, or do you grimace and wonder why February 14 has become so commercialized?

If you’re in a relationship, are you planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, and if so, how worried are you about the COVID-19 pandemic interfering with your plans?

Last month, we surveyed over 1,500 Canadians and over 1,000 Americans to learn more about their opinions on and plans for celebrating Valentine’s Day. What did they say, and how do your own plans and perspectives compare? Keep reading to find out!

DO CANADIANS AND AMERICANS IN RELATIONSHIP PLAN TO CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY THIS YEAR? OVER HALF SAY YES.

This year, Americans in relationships (62%) are more likely to be planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day than Canadians in relationships (51%). Planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day is more popular among young people: Canadians aged 18-34 and Americans aged 18-39 are more likely to say they plan to celebrate this year.

The majority of Canadians (74%) and Americans (57%) who plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year are not worried about the COVID-19 restrictions in place where they live interfering with their celebration plans. Americans who are planning to celebrate are more likely to be worried (42%) than Canadians (24%).

DO CANADIANS AND AMERICANS LIKE OR DISLIKE VALENTINE’S DAY? OPINIONS ARE MIXED.

Regardless of whether they are currently in a relationship or not, we asked the Canadians and Americans who responded to our survey to tell us how much they like or dislike Valentine’s Day.

  • 39% of Canadians like Valentine’s Day, 43% are indifferent, and 17% dislike it
  • 44% of Americans like Valentine’s Day, 38% are indifferent, and 14% dislike it

46% OF CANADIANS AND 52% OF AMERICANS AGREE THAT VALENTINE’S DAY IS STILL RELEVANT.

We also asked Canadians and Americans their perspectives on several statements about Valentine’s Day.

In terms of the positive statements about February 14:

  • 46% of Canadians and 52% of Americans agree that Valentine’s Day is still relevant;
  • 58% of Canadians and 62% of Americans agree that it is a good way for couples to celebrate their love; and
  • 38% of Canadians and 48% of Americans agree it is an important tradition that helps couples keep their love alive.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Canadians and Americans who are currently in a relationship are more likely than those who are not to agree with the first two statements above.

In terms of the negative statements:

  • 81% of Canadians and 68% of Americans agree that Valentine’s Day is too commercialized;
  • 49% of Canadians and 44% of Americans agree it puts too much pressure on couples; and
  • 15% of Canadians and 22% of Americans agree it makes them feel sad/alone.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

This web survey was conducted from January 15 to 17, 2021, with 1,516 Canadians and 1,003 Americans, 18 years of age or older, randomly recruited from LEO’s online panel. The data was analyzed and weighted by our statisticians using 2016 Census reference variables (for the Canadian data) and 2010 US Census reference variables (for the American data) to render it representative of the opinions of Canadians and Americans.

DO YOU LIKE OR DISLIKE VALENTINE’S DAY? TELL US WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

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