February 13, 2025
Three-quarters of adults plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year. Fifty-five percent will mark the day with a romantic partner. About 4 in 10 will celebrate the holiday with family and 1 in 5 expect to celebrate with friends.
People in a relationship – ranging from a casual relationship to married — are more likely to celebrate the day with someone than people who are not currently coupled up (86% vs. 47%). But Valentine’s festivities are not only for those in relationships. Among single people, many plan to celebrate with friends, family, or in some other way.
Women are more likely than men to celebrate Valentine’s Day with family or friends rather than a romantic partner. Adults age 18-44 are more likely than older adults to mark Valentine’s Day in some way.
In general, the public feels warmly toward Valentine’s Day. Eight in 10 feel romantic is at least somewhat descriptive of the holiday and three quarters consider it fun. About half think Valentine’s Day is at least somewhat outdated and 4 in 10 describe it as at least somewhat stressful.
Warm and fuzzy feelings toward the holiday are in part driven by relationship status. Single adults are less likely to say the holiday is at least somewhat romantic.
When asked what factors are important for a successful relationship, most agree that being friends, talking about emotions, sharing common beliefs, and physical intimacy are very or extremely important. There are no significant differences in views of what makes a successful relationship based on age, gender, or relationship status.
The nationwide poll was conducted February 6-10, 2025 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,112 adults. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 4.1 percentage points.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Three-quarters plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day” (February 2025). https://apnorc.org/projects/three-quarters-plan-to-celebrate-valentines-day/
