By Alex Levine

In Spanish speaking countries the holiday is known as el día de San Valentín, el día del amor y la amistad or el día de los enamorados and on this day, you will see many red hearts and chubby cupid decorations, and street flower vendors and most restaurants will be packed. Many Latin people love to celebrate this day but, when it comes to the U.S., we asked ourselves the question: do U.S. Latinos celebrate Valentine’s differently?

In an effort to find out how our Hispanic counterparts celebrate Valentine’s Day, we asked over 100 Latinos, 30% male and 70% female, all over the U.S. to tell us more about their plans for this year’s Hallmark holiday and how they – both men and women, respectively – participate in the related rituals here. So, if your significant other is Latin, read on, you might be in for a hot surprise this February 14^th.

Plans for February 14

The vast majority of the respondents usually celebrate Valentine’s Day, although it depends if they are with someone special or not. Here, PACO reports the findings from the online survey conducted January 24^th and 25^th, 2012:

•  58% of respondents said they do celebrate Valentine’s Day every year while an additional 13% said it depends if they are with someone special at the time
• 27% responded that they do not celebrate Valentine’s Day
• 59% of the respondents said they were going to celebrate this year while 8% said they were not sure yet, but maybe
• 32% said they would not celebrate Valentine’s this year

When asked what their plans for this year’s celebration would be, the results showed:

• 40% plan on going out for dinner
• 35% have no plans
• 26% said they will be giving gifts
• 19% said they are planning a special date
• 17% plan to give a Valentine’s card
• 14% said they would prepare a home-cooked dinner
• A 6% had other answers such as going to the theater, traveling, watching the Bulls game, concerts, etc.

Gift giving (Men, you’ll want to read this closely

PACO also asked whether respondents preferred store-bought or homemade gifts and/or Valentine’s cards when giving and receiving them:

• 71% of the Latino men said they prefer store-bought vs. a 28% that prefers homemade
• 51% of the Latinas responded store-bought vs. 49% that said homemade

We know that one of the most pervasive values in the Latino culture is the importance of the family, so we asked if any family member, or even a friend, was being considered as part of the commemoration. While 55% said they were not going to give anything to anyone else, there were a few respondents who are considering other family members and friends:

• 21% said they would get something for the children in their family
• 18% said they are planning to buy a gift and/or a Valentine’s card for their mother
• 14% said they would get something for a friend
• 7% said they would get something for their sibling(s)
• 2% said they would get something for their father
• 0% chose grandmother – ¡pobre abuelita!

Latinos said…

Ladies, if you have a “Latin Lover” to celebrate this year’s Valentine’s Day, these responses will definitely give you a clue on what to give him for that special night:

• The most popular response was… a dinner invitation! That’s right ladies, 32% of the men wouldn’t mind receiving a dinner invitation for a change. Who would have thought that they were so easy to please?
• 28% said they want cologne
• 20% said they want a Valentine’s card
• As a fourth option, 16% of the male respondents said they want clothes, another 16% said they would like a store gift card and another 16% said a book would be nice
• 12% said accessories/jewelry for men
• 8% said they would want a wallet

When we asked the men if they were thinking about buying any special (a.k.a sexy lingerie) for their Valentine’s date, the vast majority (92%), sadly, said no while only 8% said yes. Yes, we know… those “special” stores with women’s underwear are oftentimes a “no-man’s land,” but if you can get the subtle art of the matching set down, there are many, many rewards for those brave enough to try.

But men, don’t worry, just because you won’t be providing the lingerie, this does not necessarily mean that article of clothing won’t be present this holiday of love. It seems like this is a task the ladies are not shying away from and they will be going to the roots of romanticism. At least, that is what we can deduce from their responses (see below).

Latinas said…

Gentlemen, if you are wondering what to get your Latina for Valentine’s Day, we gathered some clues for you on preferred gifts:

• Best option? Flowers! Almost 58% of women agreed that they would like to receive flowers for Valentine’s. Now, flowers may be cliché but who cares? Ladies. Love. Flowers. Hint: find out what her favorite flower is to try to stay away from the typical red-roses-for-Valentine’s routine. Showing that extra bit of originality can go a long way.
• 35% of women said they don’t care and would be happy with whatever they receive. Hint: if your girl is in this category, you have some serious research to do. That, or look below for more options.
• 31% of women respondents said they would like a Valentine’s card
• 25% said jewelry
• 12% said candy
• Almost 10% said a store gift card
• 5% said balloons
• Another 5% said they would like a marriage proposal (looks like the pressure is off this holiday!)

Guys, based on what our data indicates, there’s no need fret too much about what you are getting her, as long as you get her something! Whether it’s flowers or a homemade gift, our study indicates that she isn’t too picky; it’s the thought that counts.

We also dared to ask the lovely ladies if they were planning on wearing special new lingerie or panties for their Valentine’s date and this is what they said: 41% said yes vs. 52% said no, and 5% said they would only wear it if her significant other bought it for her. So, it seems like men who are with Latinas could very well be in for a fun surprise this Valentine’s Day.

Significant others Trump celebrities

The last question was just for kicks and giggles, so we asked if you could pick a date for Valentine’s (celebrity or non-celebrity), who would it be? If you were curious about who Latin women and men day-dream about, here are the most common responses from each gender.  Enjoy!

Latinas would like to go out with…

(Drumroll please), their boyfriend, husband or crush! An overwhelming majority of women answered that their ideal date is their significant other! Instead of dreaming of celebrity hotties on Valentine’s Day, Latinas are excited about the special man they have at home.

Latinos would like to go out with…

Men responded similarly to women: Latinos too just wish for the company of their girlfriend or wife. Based on their votes, the next best thing would be Shakira. So, for those of you who are with a Latino, our study indicates that he’d rather have you on his arm on Valentine’s Day than any Hollywood starlet.

Background information

Age range

• 17 or younger: 1.9%
• 18-20: 4.6%
• 21-29: 58.3%
• 30-39: 24.1%
• 40-49: 8.3%
• 50-59: 1.9%
• 60 or older: 0.9%

Employment

• Employed, working 1-39 hours per week: 25.9%
• Employed, working 40 or more hours per week: 54.6%
• Not employed, looking for work: 11.1%
• Not employed, NOT looking for work: 6.5%
• Retired: 0.9%
• Disabled, not able to work: 0.9%

Status

• In a relationship: 38.0%
• Married: 26.9%
• Widowed: 0.9%
• Divorced: 2.8%
• Separated: 0.0%
• Single: 31.5%

Courtesy:  © 2012 PACO Ideation or Courtesy of PACO Ideation