Are you celebrating Valentine’s Day due to love or commercial pressures?

When February rolls around, there’s no escaping the overt signs of Valentine’s Day. Supermarket aisles are stocked with chocolate and other sweet treats encased in pink wrapping, local bars and restaurants launch special one-day-only course menus, and your inbox is flooded with discount codes encouraging you to purchase gifts for either (a) your significant other, or (b) yourself "if you’re single, in order to feel less lonely" (this is an actual email pitch we’ve received, we kid you not). 

But are Singaporeans actually celebrating the romantic occasion out of true love they feel for their significant other in their heart, or do they feel compelled to do so by companies who tell them to express affection through the medium of gifts? 

Singaporeans’ stance on V-Day

According to a recent YouGov poll, 63% of the survey respondents in Singapore celebrate Valentine’s Day due to pressure from commercial entities. 24% genuinely believe in the celebration of love on February 14, while 13% indicated that they felt unsure. 

In general, younger people in Singapore are less hostile to Valentine’s Day as compared to older people, with those aged 18 to 24 indicating that it is an occasion worth celebrating (30%). 

The overall picture, however, is still one of heavy scepticism across the generations, with the majority still expressing the commercial pressure is the main reason they celebrate the occasion.

Stats across the world

The YouGov survey took place across 18 countries and territories, and more than 19,000 people were surveyed. Interestingly, the online Chinese population are the most likely to see Valentine’s Day as being celebrated on its own terms, at 41%. However, just as many (45%) believe that it is celebrated more due to commercial pressure.

Danes are the least likely to see Valentine’s Day as a ‘proper’ special occasion, at just 5%. 82% of Dane see it more as a commercialised event, a figure matched in Britain and topped in Spain (85%). In the Western countries surveyed, no more than 27% of people say they think the lovers’ day is observed for ‘real’ reasons. 

The scepticism for the celebration is shared across all genders worldwide.. In all countries and territories, men and women are about as likely as one another to say that Valentine’s Day is celebrated more because of commercial pressure.

No right or wrong in V-Day

Commercialised mass consumption event or not, it’s nice that there’s an occasion to show your appreciation to your loved ones – whether you choose to do so by gifts, a romantic date night, or a cosy night in. 

And if you choose not to celebrate it, that’s also perfectly fine – everyone is free, after all, to demonstrate their love through small and consistent ways throughout the year, without needing to jam-pack everything into one single (and very expensive) day.