eHarmony

New eHarmony Survey Reveals What America’s Singles Are Really Looking for This Valentine’s Day

Santa Monica, Calif. - February 7, 2012- With Valentine’s Day near, singles are scrambling to organize their day. To get a bit more insight into the mind of singles on this day of love, eHarmony went straight to the source, polling over 700 single men and women, asking for their feelings and attitudes toward Valentine’s Day, as well as their thoughts about gifts, dates and other romantic notions.

The survey’s highlights include:

• Even in the midst of economic uncertainty, Valentine’s Day remains a moneymaker with 60 percent of people saying they plan on spending the same amount of money that they did last year.
• While romantic gifts have been the norm, this year looks different with 82 percent of people saying they would like an “experience” for Valentine’s Day rather than a gift.
• Romance is still meaningful for men & women alike on Valentine’s Day. 40 percent of men and 41 percent of women view it as an opportunity to do something romantic with someone they care about, compared with 32 percent of men and 29 percent of women who think Valentine’s Day is too commercial.
• Men, think ahead if you want to make your woman happy this Valentine’s Day as 62 percent of ladies want their man to take them out to a nice dinner at restaurants that require reservations. And forget about lingerie, only 4 percent of women said they’d like to receive it as a gift.
• Valentine’s Day isn’t just for those in a relationship; nearly 70 percent of people wouldn’t mind going on a blind or first date for the holiday.
• This year, single men & women aren’t cursing Valentine’s Day. Instead an optimistic 62 percent of women and 56 percent of men are making plans to enjoy the day doing things they enjoy rather than counting down the minutes until the 15th.
• Lastly, maybe all the hype is just hype as more than 50 percent of singles surveyed don’t feel any pressure associated with Valentine’s Day at all.

“Singles have become savvy living in lean economic times,” says Gian Gonzaga, Senior Director of Research and Development. “They are valuing meaningful experiences over material gifts but beyond that they are taking a healthy view of Valentine’s Day. The best way to know when you are ready for a long-term relationship is when you are in a healthy state of mind.”

Additional tips and advice for Valentine’s Day can be found on eHarmony Advice.

Methodology: This study was conducted online within the United States by uSamp on January 25, 2012 among 730 respondents aged 25-55 who are single or divorced. Respondents were about equally divided between men (49.5 percent) and women (50.5 percent).

About eHarmony, Inc. Santa Monica, Calif.-based eHarmony, Inc. (www.eharmony.com) was founded in 2000 and is a pioneer in using relationship science to match singles seeking long-term relationships. Its service presents users with compatible matches based on key dimensions of personality that are scientifically proven to predict highly successful long-term relationships. On average, 542 people marry every day in the U.S. as a result of being matched on eHarmony, nearly 5% of new marriages.* Currently, eHarmony operates online matchmaking services in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Brazil, and through its affiliation with eDarling, in 11 countries throughout continental Europe.

* 2009 survey conducted for eHarmony by Harris Interactive.®