Here’s How Likely You are to be Dumped on Valentine’s Day in Halton
Published February 7, 2019 at 5:32 am
While some have declared Valentine’s Day a shallow exercise in meaningless consumerism, others cherish the holiday as a tradition that celebrates romantic (and in some cases, even platonic) love.
Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is coming and while it will likely be a great day for many local couples (or friends celebrating Galentine’s Day), others might find themselves suddenly single.
According to a recent poll by Ebates.ca, a popular cashback company, Valentine’s Day isn’t always a bed of roses (their words, not ours). The survey finds that 17 per cent of Canadians say they have suffered a relationship break-up right around Valentine’s Day and this number rises as high as 26 per cent for those under the age of 35.
The survey also found that Valentine’s Day can be a little tough on the wallet, with respondents reportedly spending $76 on gifts–an increase of 29 per cent from the previous year.
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“Valentine’s Day stirs up some strong opinions for Canadians – it’s one of those love-it or hate-it occasions,” said Belinda Baugniet, VP of marketing at Ebates.ca.
“Whether it’s deciding on the perfect gift, how much to spend or debating a big romantic (or not so romantic) gesture, Saint Valentine can put a huge amount of pressure on relationships. Our survey allows us to examine the changing trends in gift giving and spending year-over-year and provide Canada’s love birds with some advice to keep their partners happy during this controversial day of romance.”
The survey found that Canadians are romantic, with two-thirds (68 per cent) disagreeing that Valentine’s Day is a ‘silly holiday.’ Interestingly enough, the survey finds that men were as likely as women to disagree.
While Canadians seem to be pretty into Valentine’s Day, not everyone agrees that the day is perfect for a grand romantic gesture.
The survey revealed that more than half of Canadians (57 per cent) agree that a Valentine’s Day proposal is a good idea. Those who aren’t so sure said that you should not propose on a special occasion (41 per cent) and suggest that an anniversary of the first date (37 per cent) would be a more appropriate time to pop the question.
So, what’s a good Valentine’s Day date idea?
The survey says that 33 per cent of Canadians said they like going out for a meal. Other respondents said they’re partial to flowers (12 per cent), tickets to an event or outing (11 per cent) and gift cards (11 per cent).
Interestingly enough, eight per cent said they’d prefer to receive cash or a surprise getaway (six per cent).
If you’re going out to celebrate, should you give a tangible gift at all?
According to Ebates, nearly one third (30 per cent) of respondents say they enjoy receiving gifts for Valentine’s Day. This number is higher for women than men (35 per cent vs 24 per cent), while 35 per cent of Canadians admit that they don’t really like giving gifts for Valentine’s Day.
It also seems that people find Valentine’s Day fun, which might be why it did not top the list of hardest gifts to shop for, placing sixth behind anniversaries, weddings, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and hostess gifts.
But the survey also found that clearly not everyone has good gift sense. Some of the worst gifts Canadians have ever received for Valentine’s Day include a workout video, a toothbrush, a gas gift card, an empty box of chocolate and used speakers.
About the survey The Ebates Canada survey was conducted online in late January 2019 with a nationally representative sample of 1,007 Canadians. A sample of this size is accurate to within +/-3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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