St. Valentine’s had its origins as a Christian feast and, starting in the 8th century, it gradually came to be about romantic love and celebrating partners and lovers. Since then, it has largely shed its Christian trappings and is now celebrated the world over.
This is demonstrated by a recent global survey. Of the 18,201 consumers in 17 global markets, 59% say they’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day in some way. However, the proportions of celebrations in markets vary greatly.
For example, a greater proportion of Mexicans than any other market surveyed celebrate Valentine’s Day, with 81% saying they’ll observe the holiday in some way. In Mexico, February 14th is known as the “day of love and friendship” and includes celebrations with all loved ones, not just romantic partners. The UAE is the market where 78%, the second-largest proportion of consumers, will observe the holiday.
APAC markets, Hong Kong (75%), India (69%) and Indonesia (63%) all celebrate Valentine’s Day in above-average proportions, though Australia (51%) and Singapore (51%) are below average.
In Europe, Italians are most likely to celebrate the romantic holiday, with 69% of them planning to celebrate. This is in stark contrast to the Danes, of whom only 28% will observe. Great Britain (46%) and Germany (39%) are also near the bottom of the list.
Sharing a meal, drinks
Among those who plan to do celebrate, the two most popular answers are “eat at home” (37%) and “go out for a meal/drinks” (29%). This could mean a boost for grocery stores or restaurants depending on which consumers opt for.
Hong Kongers are most likely to give either of these answers, with 51% planning dinner at home and 46% saying they’ll go out. This is significantly above the global total of 37% for home dining and 29% for restaurants/bars. Indians are also much more likely than the average respondent to celebrate a meal, either at home (44%) or out (41%). Nordic consumers who are planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day are among the least likely to do so by visiting a bar or restaurant (22% of Danes and 14% of Swedes).
Watching TV or movies most popular with urban residents of India (50%) and Hong Kong (50%). Both groups are 75% more likely than the average respondent to choose to watch TV or movies with their loved ones.
Travel is one special way to mark the occasion. Perhaps because it can be expensive and effortful, it’s one of the less popular options with only 13% of the total respondents choosing it. However, there are large differences between markets. Indonesians, at 34%, are the most likely to say they’ll travel, followed by Hong Kong residents at 30%. Britons (6%) and Italians (6%) are the least likely to travel.
Only one in ten consumers (9%) say they’ll attend an event or activity, fewer than those who plan to travel.
YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 376 and 897 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in November 2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
