Valentine’s Day is not only the most important holiday for couples, but also the favorite holiday for businesses. According to statistics, American lovers are set to create the highest spending record for Valentine’s Day in nearly 10 years, with about 70% of Americans considering themselves very romantic.
According to the latest survey from the internationally renowned online market research and data analysis company YouGov, over one-third (37%) of Americans plan to celebrate this year’s Valentine’s Day, while 45% do not intend to celebrate it. Among those in romantic or deeper relationships, 52% plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day, 27% do not, and 20% are unsure.
The YouGov survey on “Valentine’s Day and Romantic Relationships” shows that Americans’ ways of celebrating Valentine’s Day remain traditional: about a quarter (24%) plan to exchange gifts, 21% plan to dine out, 17% plan to exchange cards, and 17% plan to have dinner together. Among those in confirmed romantic or deeper relationships, 34% plan to exchange gifts, 32% plan to dine out, and 30% plan to spend the night together.
Within the group of people in romantic relationships, 20% of Americans say they usually take the lead in planning Valentine’s Day activities; 13% are more passive, relying on their partners to plan; 45% plan together with their partners, while 20% say they do not plan any activities. Men are more likely than women to plan how to spend the day (23% versus 16%).
Among women in romantic relationships, 24% prefer their partners to take charge of planning Valentine’s Day activities, while among men in romantic relationships, 14% also rely on their partners. The proportion of men and women who jointly plan Valentine’s Day activities is 53% and 44%, respectively.
In the eyes of Americans, Valentine’s Day is also suitable for celebrating platonic friendships, with only 28% thinking it is solely for romantic relationships. Women are more likely to believe that it is suitable for both romantic and platonic friendship celebrations.
71% of Americans (72% of men and 69% of women) consider themselves very or somewhat romantic, while only 4% are unsure. 25% rate themselves as “not at all” or “not very” romantic. Among those in relationships, more consider themselves romantic (77%); and 72% think their partners are very or somewhat romantic, with men more likely to think so.
26% of Americans say they have felt disappointed because their partners did not make a significant effort to celebrate the day, with women three times more likely to feel this way than men (13% versus 39%).
Lovers are generally able to feel each other’s positive emotions, with the 2021 Valentine’s Day survey results showing that they felt loved (87%), secure (85%), respected (81%), happy (81%), supported (79%), and appreciated (77%).
The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts that Valentine’s Day spending this year will reach $29.1 billion, exceeding last year’s estimate of $27.5 billion. The highest Valentine’s Day spending record in the past eight years was in 2020, reaching $27.4 billion. The 2021 pandemic severely affected Valentine’s Day spending, dropping to $21.8 billion.
The NRF also lists the most popular gifts. It is estimated that the highest consumption is in candies, with 56% planning to purchase them; greeting cards and flowers follow with 41% each, followed by dining out in the evening (39%) and giving jewelry (25%).
The most popular flowers are still roses, with flower purchases estimated to reach $3.1 billion this year. Other expenses include jewelry at $7 billion, romantic dinners at $6 billion; and about twenty percent of Americans will buy gifts for their pets, with a total estimated spending of $700 million.