Survey Finds 25% Of People Are Willing To Break Up Over A Bad Valentine’s Day Gift
When it comes to Valentine's Day, it truly is the thought that counts — or the lack thereof.
Nicoleta Ionescu | Shutterstock | Canva Pro Economic times are tough, and that doesn't just stop being true because it's Valentine's Day. But with money tight — and the Christmas gifting season only a few weeks in the rearview mirror — many people are hesitant to dish out this V-Day. That doesn't mean, however, that American couples have put all their romantic expectations for the day by the wayside.
A survey found 25% of people are willing to break up over a bad Valentine's Day gift.
The survey was conducted by the online shopping and discount site CouponFollow, which asked 1,000 users of all ages, genders, and relationship statuses how they were feeling about this upcoming Valentine's Day from a financial perspective.
Some of their findings are not exactly surprising. On average, they found American lovebirds were poised to spend about $155 on Valentine's Day gifts this year, but in a development that will shock no one, a lot of them are pretty anxious about doing so — 28% of couples are sweating the holiday.
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Still, anyone thinking the solution is to just skip the holiday altogether is sorely mistaken. Despite all the anxiety, more than a third of couples said their Valentine's Day gift is dealbreaker material for the entire relationship.
Also unsurprising is that men and women have very different standards around the holiday. Women expect their partners to spend 25% more than men expect of women, and men are two times as likely to be stressed about money on Valentine's Day. Which is interesting, given what women say they prefer to receive on the day.
Couples prefer sentimental gifts far more than luxury gifts.
Given how different women's and men's Valentine's Day expectations are, you'd probably assume that all the women are out here demanding diamond tennis bracelets and getaways to Tahiti. But CouponFollow's survey found the opposite.
By far, survey respondents said their most desired Valentine's Day was a sentimental gift, with 38% saying they preferred something like a homemade card or romantic experience — think picnic in a park or some wine while watching a sunset.
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Classic traditions like chocolates and flowers came in second place, followed by something practical in third place. Absolutely dead last? The thing we all tend to assume people want most — luxury items like jewelry, fine dining, or fancy vacations.
People said by far the worst Valentine's Day gift is no gift at all — and they're ready to break up over it.
So if luxury gifts are the bottom of the barrel of people's desires, it might seem logical to just scrimp on the gifts — or skip them altogether. But CouponFollow's survey showed that this is not at all the solution that people, and the ladies in particular, are looking for.
The survey found that among the biggest V-Day dealbreakers are clearly re-gifted gifts or other presents that were obviously last-minute hail Marys with no thought put into them. But no gift at all, either because their partner forgot or just blew the whole thing off, was the biggest dealbreaker of all.
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A full 25% said they'd break-up with their partner over this kind of face plant. All of which goes to show that it really is the thought that counts — luxuries aren't the priority, sentimentality is. Cheapness isn't the deal-breaker, a lack of consideration is.
This pulls another of the survey's findings into even sharper focus — 44% of respondents said they hide their financial realities from their partner, especially when it comes to gift-giving. This is all the more reason to take it easy this Valentine's Day and just focus on a sincere, heartfelt gesture, not the price tag. That's the stuff we all remember most anyway — well, other than the gifts that are truly terrible!
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.