Does Valentine’s Day make or break a relationship?

One in six couples say this Valentine’s Day could be “make or break” for them this year, according to a new survey.

A survey examining how America takes Valentine’s Day to its heart found 17% of those in a serious relationship or marriage felt this year was particularly crucial for their relationship.

This rises to one in five (19%) for those unmarried but in a serious relationship who consider Feb. 14 “make or break” this year, but drops to 17% of couples already married.

The survey of 2,000 Americans, conducted by Talker Research, saw a further 30% of married respondents say that, while not make or break, they see Valentine’s Day this year as a needed boost for their relationship.

And men were more likely to feel their relationship needs a Valentine’s Day boost than women were (35% men, 26% women).

But while many Americans feel this Feb. 14 may be significant for them, the majority still feel relaxed about the day — 64% of those surveyed feel Valentine’s Day is overrated.

So does that mean they will be opening their wallets? Fifty-eight percent of those in relationships said they’ll be keeping their spending similar to the amount they spent last year.

About a fifth (19%) are planning to spend less than they did last year, with just 12% of those in relationships saying they’ll be spending more than in 2024.

When it comes to splashing the cash on Valentine’s, is there a “right” amount to spend for a memorable time? The average American polled estimates you need to spend $133 per person in total for a good Valentine’s Day overall when factoring in food, gifts and/or activities.

Four in ten of those surveyed said a good Valentine’s Day can be had for under $100 a head and a fifth (22%) said under $50.

And should love really cost a thing? Twenty-eight percent of Americans polled said a good Valentine’s Day shouldn’t cost anything at all.

Interestingly, women were much more likely to feel Valentine’s Day shouldn’t cost anything than men were (34% women vs. 21% men).

And in a year of “no spend” trends, Valentine’s Day is no different. A third of couples polled (32% married or in a serious relationship) are deliberately not spending this Feb. 14 in order to save money.

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 general population Americans with 1,000 men and 1,000 women; the survey was administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Friday, Jan. 31 and Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.