UTAH (ABC4) – Valentine’s Day has been celebrated across the nation since as early as 496 A.D. when the Christian church decided to hold a feast in St. Valentine’s honor on Feb. 14. However, new data proves that the majority of Americans feel the romantic tradition has gone on too long. In fact, younger generations are just about ready to #cancel the holiday altogether.
A recent study titled the Pressures of Valentine’s Day & Dating, published by the dating app Plenty of Fish, explores the stress and anxiety singles across America face as the year’s most flirtatious holiday approaches.
The study revealed that a whopping 43% of singles consider Valentine’s Day to be the most pressure-filled holiday, with one in five Americans wishing it was dumped entirely.
“Our research shows that singles not only desire low-pressure dating situations, but that they are flat out tired of the unrealistic expectations that society and social media place on them – especially during this time of year,” said Stefan Harvalias, VP Marketing at Plenty of Fish.
After analyzing the data, researchers found that singles tend to give up on love as time goes on. The study revealed that Gen Z (60%) and Millennials (52%) feel the most heat leading up to Valentine’s Day, while the pressure trends downwards as singles age.
It’s no surprise that the biggest source of pressure comes from external sources (58%). You’d be lying if you said Grandma’s never asked about your relationship status over family dinner. Commercialization and non-stop advertising of the big day (57%), as well as social media hype (36%), also proved to be big contributing factors to Valentine’s stress.
Research showed that 43 percent of Americans feel pressure to be in a relationship on Feb. 14, while 36 percent of singles reported they feel they have to showcase a Valentine’s date to others.
In 2022, Plenty of Fish determined that only 20 percent of singles are excited for Valentine’s Day. Surprisingly enough, men are more likely to look forward to the big day than women (21% compared to 17%).
Despite society’s expectations around the holiday, there are always other options. What better way to celebrate than by throwing a Galentine’s get-together? Research proved that 17 percent of singles, including nearly a fourth of Gen Z (24%), prefer to spend the day with friends.
Although, singles in America demonstrated they’d prefer to get sentimental, with 23 percent reporting they’d want to spend Feb. 14 with a romantic partner. The largest group of singles (58%) opts for spending Valentine’s alone, prioritizing self-care, while a mere 12 percent would rather spend the day with a furry friend.
To check out the full study by Plenty of Fish, click here.
