NEW YORK (AP) — While some U.S. adults consider Cupid’s holiday outdated, more say they love the romance and fun of Valentine’s Day, and many expect to spend quality time with partners, friends and family.
A new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about three-quarters of Americans plan to celebrate Friday’s holiday in some way this year.
More than half will be with a romantic partner, and about 4 in 10 will be with family. About 2 in 10 will celebrate with friends, and 15% say they’ll mark the occasion in some other way.
Roughly one-quarter of Americans will not celebrate at all. People in a relationship are much more likely than those not in a relationship to say they’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day in some way.
Joseph Brubaker, a 38-year-old high school teacher from Raeford, North Carolina, sees ups and downs to Valentine’s Day. He plans to fly to Ohio to spend it with his new girlfriend. They’ve been dating long distance for about two months.
“Typically it’s a greeting card holiday,” he said. “But the celebration of the emotional connection is great. That’s necessary for those in relationships. The corporations are so entrenched in it, though, and make you pay $60 for flowers that usually cost a lot less.”
At 74, retired science teacher Ian Ellis of Louisville, Kentucky, has never been married. Valentine’s Day, in the traditional sense, doesn’t do much for him. He plans to get together with a friend after the holiday, enjoying the Sunday buffet at a nearby restaurant.
“I’m pretty low profile as far as Valentine’s Day goes. I won’t be sending any card,” he said.
Many Americans see Valentine’s Day as a romantic and fun occasion. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say “romantic” describes Valentine’s Day “extremely” or “very” well, while about one-third say that about “fun.”
Count 67-year-old William Betts of Oklahoma City in the romantic category. Married 40 years, he joked: “I’m actually the romantic one in the family. If I didn’t do anything, she probably wouldn’t notice.”
This year, he’ll be traveling 300 miles round trip to distribute meals for the food pantry he runs as a volunteer. He plans to make dinner for his wife and pick up some flowers at some point.
But he acknowledge that not everyone is a fan of the holiday.
“I know it’s a tough day for some. It’s tough for my daughter, who’s single,” he said.
About 2 in 10 U.S. adults say “outdated” describes the holiday extremely or very well, while about 3 in 10 say it describes Valentine’s Day “somewhat” well. Fewer — around 1 in 10 — Americans say “stressful” is an extremely or very good descriptor, and about 3 in 10 say it’s “somewhat” good.
Janis Thompson, 76, in Durham, North Carolina, is divorced. That hasn’t spoiled her Valentine’s Day vibe.
“I always feel good about Valentine’s Day,” she said. “The more love in the world, the better it is.”
Thompson has a sister-in-law, Nona, who was born on Valentine’s Day. Nona turns 95 this year, and the family is celebrating with a special gift of 95 things they love about her. Nona’s daughter is making heart-shaped cards with the sentiments.
“She became my sister-in-law when I was 3. I came from a very spread out family. I always viewed her as my second mother. She taught me how to make dinner rolls from scratch when I was a little kid,” Thompson said.
When it comes to the recipe for successful romantic relationships, the poll found that Americans are mostly on the same page. About 8 in 10 U.S. adults say that the ability to talk about your emotions, having shared values and beliefs, and being friends are “extremely” or “very” important.
But women are more likely than men to say that the ability to discuss emotions is highly important to a thriving relationship, although strong majorities in both cases consider it key. Women and men are similarly likely to say it’s important to have shared values and to be friends.
Valentine’s Day is extra special for Dylann Deeds, 36, of Newport, Oregon. It’s her accidental wedding anniversary. Sixteen years ago, she and her now husband, Nick, had planned on getting hitched on Friday the 13th. They were teenagers and didn’t realize there was a 24-hour waiting period from the time they picked up their marriage license.
So, hello Valentine’s Day!
“We love it. We both laugh about it,” Deeds said. “We’re not huge Valentine’s chocolate and flowers kind of people. But we always celebrate.”
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,112 adults was conducted Feb. 6-10, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
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