VTsIOM: 71% of Russians do not consider Valentine’s Day a holiday

The All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) found out how Russians actually relate to St. Valentine’s Day, also often called St. Valentine’s Day among young people. The results of the study were made public on Tuesday, February 14, on the website of the organization. The survey was conducted on February 5, 2023. It was attended by 1,600 Russians aged 18 and over.

Recall that Valentine’s Day – Valentine’s Day or the holiday of all lovers – has a Catholic origin and is celebrated all over the world on February 14th. The attitude of Russians to this date in the calendar was divided almost equally. Almost half of compatriots (45%) consider St. Valentine’s Day a “warm holiday” and a good occasion to please their loved ones. Another 43% of respondents claim that it was invented for the sake of profit from the sale of souvenirs.

At the same time, the majority of respondents (71%) do not consider Valentine’s Day a real holiday. Although over half of compatriots (60%) admitted that they were in love. Curiously, despite the variety of social networks and special dating sites, the majority of respondents reported that they most often meet offline. It is best to look for a soul mate through friends (43% of respondents are sure of this) or through work and study (31% of respondents think so). In clubs of interest, in sections and courses, 22% of compatriots consider it normal to start a romantic relationship. Another 17% of respondents believe that their love can be found on the street. The Internet, as an acceptable place for dating, was in last place: only 16% of respondents are ready to look for their love on the World Wide Web.