Valentine’s Day in Ireland: expectations vs. reality

Picodi.com checked the type of gifts Irish people would like to receive on Valentine’s Day, how much money they are willing to spend and if their gifts suit the taste of their partners.

Valentine’s Day is very popular in Ireland: 58% of Irish people surveyed said they celebrate Valentine’s Day and will give something to their partner.

What are Irish people going to buy as a gift? Among the men surveyed, the most popular answers were jewellery (34%), flowers (31%) and Valentine’s Day cards (28%). Women on the other hand said they are going to buy sweets (25%), tickets to cinema or concert (19%) and food on delivery (17%).

We also asked what gifts Irish people expect to get from their significant others and according to women, the most expected gifts were flowers (38%), jewellery (31%), perfumes (27%), clothes (24%) and sweets (20%). As for men, the most expected option was perfumes (45%), money (34%) and gift cards (27%). 17% wouldn’t mind getting Valentine’s Day cards, and 14% expected electronics.

The worst Valentine’s Day gifts according to women are sex toys (35%), teddy bears (31%), small home appliances (22%), money (17%) and sweets (6%). Among men, a Valentine’s Day card (28%) and sweets (17%) were chosen as the least wanted.

Valentine’s Day in other countries

We also looked into the financial side of Valentine’s Day. On average, we spend €92 on Valentine’s Day gifts in Ireland, with men spending 45% more than women (€109 vs. €75).

Among the countries researched, the highest amounts are spent in Hong Kong (€102), the United Kingdom (€96), and Ireland (€92).

In 2021 In Ireland, the most frequently chosen gifts are jewellery (men) and sweets (women). Spanish men usually choose dinner at a restaurant, while women choose handmade gifts. In the UK, men give mostly flowers on Valentine’s Day and receive sweets from women.

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Methodology

This report is based on results of a survey among over 11,000 people from 38 selected countries where Valentine’s Day is celebrated. For currency conversion, we used the average exchange rate for January 2021.

Public Use

Would you like to share the information and infographics about Valentine’s Day in Ireland and other countries with your readers? Feel free to use all the data and infographics presented in this report for both commercial and non-commercial purposes as long as you indicate the author of the research (Picodi.com) with a link to this subpage. If you have any questions, please contact us: research@picodi.com.