February 14th, 2013, Karima Berkani
- 58% of online respondents in India plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year
- 28% of female respondents prefer jewelry as a Valentine’s gift, while only 5% prefer chocolate
- Among respondents celebrating Valentine’s Day, 68% will do so by going out to dinner with their partner
- 28% of respondents plan to spend 5,300-10,703 INR on Valentine’s Day
In India, Valentine’s Day has grown in popularity over the last decade. Today, flower decorations, restaurant advertisements and online gift deals make it a hard day to ignore. YouGov surveyed 761 respondents living across India to see what they think about Valentine’s Day.
Among online respondents in India, 39 percent plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, however, participation varied by relationship status. Those who identified themselves as ‘engaged’ are most likely celebrate (85 percent), followed by those in a ‘serious relationship’ (80 percent), those ‘dating casually’ (77 percent) and those who are married (63 percent). Interestingly, 37 percent of single online respondents also plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Speaking generally, 58 percent of online respondents in India say that like Valentine’s Day, while 30 percent say that they do not
Regardless of whether they plan to celebrate or not, 58 percent of online respondents (who are currently in a relationship) say they make a conscious effort to be nicer to their partner on Valentine’s Day. However, Valentine’s Day is not solely a romantic holiday. While among all online panelists, romantic partners were most likely to be wished a ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ (59 percent), so are close friends (37 percent), parents (20 percent), and other family members (15 percent).
Among online respondents who plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day, 65 percent plan to celebrate by having dinner with their partner, while 39 percent plan to celebrate by giving a present to their partner. Again suggesting that Valentine’s Day is not limited to romance, 13 percent say they will celebrate by having dinner with friends. Married online respondents are least likely to give their spouse a gift for Valentine’s Day (37 percent), while those in a serious relationship are most likely (61 percent).
In terms of Valentine’s Day gifts, 36 percent of online respondents who are currently in a relationship are expecting to receive a Valentine’s Day gift while 45 percent are not. Female online respondents are more likely to expect a Valentine’s Day gift than male (60 percent vs. 34 percent, respectively). Online respondents who are engaged are most likely to expect a Valentine’s gift (60 percent).
While chocolate is marketed as a popular Valentine’s Day gift, only 7 percent of online respondents in India say it is their preferred gift. According to the YouGov online survey, female respondents prefer jewelry (28 percent), a holiday trip (11 percent) or flowers (11 percent), while male respondents prefer flowers (17 percent) or clothing (12 percent).
Among online respondents in India who plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day, 66 percent say they make their Valentine’s Day plans a few days in advance, while 22 percent make their plans a week in advance. Interestingly, only 12 percent of online respondents think it is the responsibility of the man to make Valentine’s Day plans, while 59 percent think it is the responsibility of both.
Online respondents in India who plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day indicate they are most likely to do so to ‘show their partner they care for them’ (56 percent), while 51 percent said because they themselves enjoy it. Only 5 percent of online respondents said they would be celebrating because of ‘pressure from their partner’.
The survey was conducted using YouGov’s Online Panel and all questionnaires were completed between February 6th – 11th 2013. The results are based on a total sample of 761 residents of India. YouGov’s panel is broadly representative of the online population across India.