If you are a woman that loves the romance of Valentine’s Day, you will probably be happier on February 14th if you are dating or married to an American or Canadian man. Cupid, the happy baby angel that inspires new love, is not at all a popular guy in the UK.
According to a recent Vision Critical/Angus Reid opinion poll, Americans and Canadians are more likely to celebrate Valentine’s Day by providing a card, flowers, candy or other gift to their significant other than Brits.
The online survey of more than 4000 American, British and Canadian adults revealed that while 76% of Americans and 72% of Canadians plan to commemorate Lovers Day, almost half of Brits had no plans to honor Cupid at all.
When it comes to the types of gifts most desired, dinner out at a romantic restaurant remains the top choice for both men and women in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain. However, women in all three countries showed a marked preference for traditional gifts such as flowers, candy and jewelry.
British women (23%) and Canadian women (15%) were most appreciative of flowers, with American women expressing a preference for chocolate (14%) or jewelry (14%). A relaxing day of pampering at a spa ranked highly on the list of desirable gifts for Canadian women (12%) compared to just 7% of British and 9% of American women.
In spite of stereotypes that only women celebrate Valentine’s Day, 27% of Canadian men, and 25% of British and American men would love to be taken out to dinner on February 14th. Canadian men stated a preference for entertainment or sporting event tickets and flowers (9% each), while American men preferred chocolate (9%) and electronic gadgets (7%). British men also liked chocolate (6%) but expressed an equal interest in wine or other alcohol (6%) and electronics (6%).
Touchingly, the offspring of Americans and Canadians also ranked high in importance on Valentines Day, with 24% and 22% respectively slated to receive a card or gift from their loving parents.
Taking the time to choose a personal gift for your special someone vs. picking up a gift card was important across the board. Though 44% of the British do not celebrate Valentine’s Day, 71% of those that do prefer to receive a gift; Canadians (62%) and Americans (53%) expressed similar sentiments.
All this talk of Valentine’s Day gift-giving is great if you have a spouse or significant other, but what happens if you’re not romantically involved when February 14th rolls around? Many who find themselves single and dateless on Valentine’s Day wish for a magic wand to speed up time… anything to get the day over with.
Sarah, a 21 year old student thinks Cupid was invented to torture singles.
“I take the bitter, moral high ground and start telling them if their significant others are only buying them gifts to show they love them at this time of year and not doing it all year, they are doing so because they are obligated to because of the day, not because they want to. Yes, I’m very bitter. Bah humbug!” she laughed.
Sam, a 55 year old single, suggests that we take it all in stride. “Buy up all the 75% off chocolate on the 15th you can get your hands on. Then we will name the new holiday Chocolate Lovers Day!”
I’m with Sam!
References
Three Country Public Opinion Poll, Vision Critical & Angus Reid (February 2011)
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