HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 13, 2011 – A recent HPU Poll asked North Carolinians about several aspects surrounding the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday, ranging from gift-giving habits to whether or not they believe in true love. The findings were generally optimistic, according to Dr. Sadie Leder, assistant professor of psychology and assistant director of the HPU Poll.
When asked whether or not they felt the gift-giving aspect of Valentine’s Day is a positive part of the holiday, most respondents indicated that it was.
Positive – 60 percent
Negative – 27 percent
Neither – 5 percent
Equally positive and negative – 5 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 3 percent
“The majority of those polled still feel that presents are an important and beneficial part of the holiday, even though many people in North Carolina have seen rough economic times,” says Leder. “Although some would anticipate that Valentine’s Day creates a sense of obligation to exchange presents, these findings suggest that North Carolinians are looking at this time as more of a pleasure than a pain.
“Although we do not know what types of gifts N.C. residents will be giving this Valentine’s Day, psychological literature suggests that such tokens are a symbolic means for communicating care and commitment,” she adds.
The HPU Poll also asked participants, “Do you believe in true love?” An overwhelming majority reported that they did.
Yes – 91 percent
No – 6 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 3 percent
Finally, participants in the poll were asked, “Will you be celebrating Valentine’s Day with a romantic partner this year?”
Yes – 65 percent
No – 30 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 5 percent
Interestingly, even the 30 percent of respondents who were not planning on celebrating Valentine’s Day with a romantic partner shared “rose-colored” feelings toward both love and the holiday.
“It appears that the general sentiment of the people we polled is that Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate their affection and show their appreciation for loved ones,” Leder adds. “With such positive feelings toward romance and love being reported by North Carolina residents, the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday should prove to be an exciting and rewarding time.”
To see more from Dr. Leder on the subject of Valentine’s Day and research on romantic relationships, read a Q&A with her here: http://www2.highpoint.edu/articles/show.php?id=2783
The High Point University Survey Research Center fielded the survey from Jan. 30 – Feb. 2 and Feb. 4-9, 2012. The responses came from 660 adults with landline and cellular telephones in North Carolina selected by a Random Digit Dial (RDD) method, giving the survey a margin of sampling error of approximately 4 percentage points. For smaller subsamples the margin of sampling error is larger. In addition to sampling error, factors such as question wording and other methodological choices in conducting survey research can introduce additional error into the findings of opinion polls.
Further results and methodological details from the survey and can be found at the Survey Research Center website, http://src.highpoint.edu/ , or from Dr. Martin Kifer, the center’s director, at [email protected] or 336-841-9333.
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.℠ HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with over 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report at No. 3 among Regional Colleges in the South. Parade Magazine lists HPU in the top 25 private schools in the nation. HPU was selected in the 2010-2011 list of “Colleges of Distinction,” as well as one of the top green schools in the country by the Sierra Club. The university offers 44 undergraduate majors, 40 undergraduate minors and 10 graduate degree programs. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at highpoint.edu.
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Pam Haynes
Communication Specialist
336-841-9055
[email protected]