For many worst Valentine's gift is no gift

Zaraida DiazYouGov Omnibus
February 07, 2014, 7:08 PM GMT+0

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and according to the latest YouGov Omnibus survey 40% of Americans like celebrating the romantic holiday. 18% are particularly romantic and like to celebrate the holiday a lot.

Women enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day more than men, with 45% of women stating that they like celebrating the holiday compared to 35% of men. Nearly a quarter of American men (24%) dislike celebrating Valentine’s Day.

Who likes Valentine’s Day the most?

Americans who are in a relationship, but not cohabitating, married or in a civil partnership enjoy celebrating Cupid’s holiday the most. Over 6 out of 10 (64%) of these Americans stated that they liked celebrating Valentine’s Day.

Americans who are not in a relationship, but currently navigating the dating scene, are the least likely to enjoy Valentine’s Day with 44% stating that they disliked celebrating the holiday. However, only 21% of single Americans who are not currently dating claim to dislike the holiday.

Almost half (46%) of Americans who are not currently in a relationship and not currently dating are not interested in Valentine’s Day because they are not interested in anyone at the moment.

Where Do Americans Find Love?

It appears that friends still play a key role in helping Americans meet their sweethearts. When asked how they met their current partners about a quarter of Americans (24%) in a relationship stated that they met their partner through friends, while a fifth of Americans met their partners at work. Meanwhile, one in five Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 met their partner at school.

"How did you meet your current partner?"

Among Americans who currently do not have a partner the most popular way they would consider meeting a significant other is through friends (51%), followed by at a party (35%), through a family member (33%), and at work (25%).

Americans are definitely open to meeting their partners though dating websites, which are becoming increasingly popular. One out of five single Americans would consider meeting a potential partner over a dating website such as E-Harmony or OKCupid. Single men are more likely than single women to consider meeting someone on a dating website, with 26% of men stating they would consider it, in comparison to only 14% of women.

Overall two out of five Americans would never consider meeting a potential partner through a speed-dating service. Although dating apps such as Tinder have been gaining popularity recently, over a third of Americans (36%) would never consider meeting a partner through an app. Furthermore a third would never consider using a dating or match-making service, while 32% would never use a dating website to meet a partner.

And Finally the Presents

Although Valentine’s Day is marketed as a holiday where loved ones exchange gifts and cards only 29% of Americans currently in a relationship typically celebrate the holiday by exchanging gifts or cards. Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) claim that the worst Valentine’s Day they have ever received was no gift at all, while 43% of Americans claim to have never received a bad Valentine’s Day gift.

"Thinking about your current relationship...

Which ONE of the following statements best applies to you?"

For further information about poll results, and for details about methodology and omnibus services, please email omnibus.us@yougov.com.

Find the full results here.

Image: Getty