PUBLIC OPINION > Valentine's Day Isn't for Everyone
SodaHead Living
2012/02/14 21:19:12
It's Valentine's Day, and whatever your feelings about the holiday, you'd better know whether or not your special someone is expecting anything. Some call it a Hallmark holiday, designed to sell greeting cards; others consider it an essential expression of love and romance. You certainly don't want to assume your Valentine despises it and fail to buy her flowers, because if she's expecting them you could end up on the couch. At the same time, you don't want to needlessly feed the machine if your Valentine is content to ignore the hype and split some Chinese take-out. We asked the public which camp they fall into.
Valentine's Day: Love It or Hate It?
53% Hate Valentine's Day
We're gonna call this a split decision, although technically hate won out over love by a few percent. There were several prominent reasons for disliking Valentine's, but they all boiled down to one simple concept: It dilutes the true meaning of love. Many respondents have had bad experiences -- dashed expectations, pressure from the spouse -- while others are fed up with the commercialism of the whole thing. If you truly love someone, why stress out about a single day? Why not make every day special? On the other hand, supporters were happy to embrace the lovey doveyness, pretensions and all. It can be cute and fun if you let it. It really depends on your situation.
Sucks When You're Single
As we suspected, singles are significantly less enthusiastic toward the holiday than the rest. Understandable. What reason would they have to celebrate a holiday built around romantic relationships? Nearly two-thirds of voters who were married or in a relationship, though, love the holiday.
Ladies Show More Love
Valentine's Day can be stressful for anyone if the expectations are high, but for men who have no idea what to get their gal, the pressure can be too much. Gender was a deciding factor, with women 10% more likely to love Valentine's -- just enough to swing their vote in favor of it.
As Love Grows Older...
Distaste for the holiday remained pretty constant through middle-age, but there was a sudden spike at 55 years old -- well over "marrying age." Older voters were 19% more likely to enjoy Valentine's Day than younger age groups. Maybe that's the age couples stop taking it so seriously.
If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our original poll about Valentine's Day. We'd love to hear from you!
Top Opinion
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rosalie.harman 2012/02/14 21:31:14
+8There are different kinds of love to celebrate-Love between friends,parent and child,pet and owner-not only romantic love.Love is love and gives me lots of joy which I chose to celebrate..
I do feel it can be a lonely day for those who don't have someone. That and New Years Eve are very sad for the lonely and alone.
I'm sorry it's a wedding arrangement but since it's the day after V-day this is all they had.
If you want to celebrate, then do. If not, then do not. No sweat. If you don;t want to spend the cash on it then don't. What I like you may not like. What you like I may not like. So what? To each their own. When I get told what I need to do and how I need to do it, then I start to care.
I will enjoy it. Now to go see what type of dinner I get for my flowers and balloons purchase!
Happy Singles Awareness Day, everyone!