Most Americans don't care about Valentine's Day. They don't celebrate it with their significant others. Surveys have revealed Americans' perception of this holiday, yet the majority are in favor of marriage and romantic relationships. Only one-third of Americans do not have some type of romantic relationship. And it's not because they don't want to. . The Pew Research Center has released some data that helps understand Americans and their romantic relationships. According to data from this survey, 69% of respondents are in some type of relationship. This includes the adult population, which is divided into three groups. The first and most numerous is that of married people, who make up 51% of the total sample. Afterwards, 11% of those surveyed live with their partner. Another 8% are in some type of committed relationship. . With this data, we are left with 30% of Americans who are single. Who are they? According to the information from the Pew Research Center, they are mostly men, although with just a four-point lead over women. They are often African-American since 47% of all single people belong to this demographic. . They are also young people between 18 and 29 years of age and are also more likely to be gay, lesbian or bisexual. Within this group, 62% are men. At least 44% of single Americans are not single by choice. The other 56% are. . Seventy-two percent of people who are single by choice claim to be happy this way. 63% had more important priorities at the time of the survey and 38% lack motivation and believe that no one is interested in them. . Although it continues to be the most common family and life model among Americans, marriage is becoming less common in the country. In 2021, 25% of all Americans aged 40 had never been married. The same figure fell slightly to 22% in 2022, a possible effect of the pandemic. . . It is a terrible increase compared to the lowest figure in history. In 1980 only 6% of people who were 40 years old had never been married. At the beginning of the 1900s, the number was around 15% but it dropped significantly starting in the 1940s. From the 60s to the 80s, it remained stable between 6-8% until the 90s when marriage began to decline exponentially to make way for other forms of cohabitation. . February 14 is especially relevant in pop culture and marketing. But do couples really celebrate Valentine's Day? According to YouGov polling data, the general opinion of the American public is quite divided. . According to this data, only 38% of those surveyed said they celebrate it, while 43% said they do not and 19% did not give a clear answer. Youngest couples are the ones who celebrate it the most. 47% of people aged 18-44 celebrate the holiday. That number goes down to 41% for those who are older. Even though more people don't celebrate it than those who do, 46% of people describe themselves as "very" or "somewhat" romantic. . It's shocking compared to the number of Americans who remember celebrating Valentine's Day when they were in school. It seems that this holiday is more popular in grade school, either due to the way schools celebrate it or students' own excitement. Eighty-four percent of respondents remember exchanging cards, gifts or flowers on Valentine's Day.
