This Valentine’s Day, many Brits agree that money can't buy love

Valentine's Day cards with their sweet, romantic messages appear in the shops almost as soon as the Christmas stock is taken down. Like Christmas, Valentine's Day provides an opportunity for shoppers to moan about over-commercialisation. And it gives shops the chance to encourage a traditionally emotionally reserved nation to declare undying love through jewellery, fluffy teddies and heart-shaped chocolates.

However, a recent survey reveals that 40% of Britons don't buy anything at all for a loved one, presumably convinced that money can’t buy love. Of those that do hit the shops on Valentine’s Day, the joint most popular choice of gift, each getting the vote of 18% of respondents, are flowers (mostly men buying for women) and cologne/ perfume.

When it comes to chocolate, the next most popular Valentine gift, women are the prime buyers with 19% of them buying sweet treats for their men (next to just 9% of men buying it for women). A study has suggested that men have overtaken women in being the nation's prime chocolate-eaters [1]. Perhaps women give their Valentines chocolate because of their faith in the old adage about the way to a man's heart.

Interestingly, almost a third of Valentine gift buyers (31%) shun the traditional choice of gift (flowers, perfume, chocolates, perfume, etc.), instead opting for something else. A far higher proportion of women than men boycott the Valentine's Day clichés (41% vs. 14%); presumably, displays of chocolates and flowers suit men’s more ‘smash and grab’ approach to shopping [2]. Alternative gifts may, of course, be far more thoughtful and considerate although they may also end up on a blog of ‘worst Valentine’s gifts ever’ which last year included exercise DVDs, facebook ‘gifts’ and coupons for hugs (and the like). [3]

Whatever the gift, the lingering recession will no doubt mean spending will decrease. In 2009, the Valentine's Day market was worth around £290 million, but it fell to just over £232 million in 2010 [4], and the trend continued last year. All over the country, loved ones will no doubt be reminded that it's the thought that counts.

It seems that it's not just traditional Valentine's gifts that Brits are avoiding; only 24% of respondents are actually planning to go out on a date, braving the ‘extra special’ hiked-price menus. 32% don't know what they'll do, and 16% report that they and their loved one don't celebrate the occasion at all. Interestingly, couples are far less likely to make a deal out of Valentine's Day the older they get; only 9% of 15-29 year-olds fail to mark the day compared with 15% of 20-49 year olds and 22% of the over 50s.

The survey also considered how genuine romance and the expression of warm, fuzzy feelings correspond to outward gestures of love. Perhaps reassuringly, 60% of us are likely or most likely to say how we feel on Valentine's Day compared with any other, with men very slightly more expressive than women. The older age categories were the most cynical, with 36% of over 50s unlikely to make their declarations of love on Valentine's Day (compared with just 21% of 15-29 year olds). We can only hope that they compensate with sustained expressions of affection the whole year round.