NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Magazines, TV shows and movies would have us believe that women's feelings about Valentine's Day are tied to their Facebook relationship status, and that those who are unattached arrange a date with Ben & Jerry to bemoan being single on February 14^th. However, according to Harris Poll findings from an online survey of 2,278 U.S. adults between January 17 and 22, 2013, conducted by Harris Interactive, the tables may have turned. One in four (24%) men say they would rather have a root canal than be single on Valentine's Day, compared with only 16% of women.

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Young Love  

Age also played a role in how likely people were to say that they'd rather endure a little pain than the prospect of a Valentine's spent solo. 27% of U.S. adults ages 18-35 said they'd choose the root canal, compared with 17% of those ages 36-66 and 14% of those 67 and older.

• When they are coupled up, millennials are also slightly more likely to see the holiday as an opportunity to open the lines of communication.
  • 55% of adults ages 18-35 agreed that they see Valentine's as an opportunity to communicate more with their significant other, compared with 47% of those 36-47, 50% of baby boomers (48-66), and 45% of those 67+.
• Younger generations, perhaps not surprisingly, are also more likely to say they expect to get lucky this Valentine's Day.
  • 59% of those age 36-47 and 57% of those 18-35 indicate they will probably get lucky on Valentine's Day, compared with 46% of people age 48-66 and 25% of those 67 or older.
• What is a bit more shocking is that moms and dads are making more time for nookie: 60% of adults with children under 18 in their household anticipate getting lucky on Valentine's Day, compared with only 44% of those without children at home.

What Women Want

Forget the heart-shaped box of chocolates, guys. Flowers rank as the number one gift women would most like to receive (16%) and men are most likely to give (25%) on Valentine's, but things veer off course a bit from there.

• Jewelry and candy tie for second place as the gift men are most likely to give, both at 11%.
  • Among women, however, a day of pampering (14%) is the second highest-ranked gift they would like to receive. Of those, half are bound to be disappointed as only 7% of men plan to present their sweetheart with a gift card to the local spa.
  • Jewelry ranks third among women, with 13% saying it's what they'd most like to unwrap.
• One in 10 women hope for a little help around the house come V day, but they're likely to be disappointed. Though 10% of women identify a housecleaner for a month as the gift they'd most like to receive, less than 1% of men are planning to hire an extra set of hands to pick up the cleaning duties.

Sweet Tooth

While candy may not have topped women's wish lists, over one-third of Americans (34%) do have plans to purchase something sweet to celebrate the day of love. Though pink and red M&M's and conversation hearts displaying messages of love both have their place, Hershey's wins out as the top brand candy buyers intend to purchase this year (30%). Here's how likely candy shoppers say they are to purchase the following brands this Valentine's Day:

• Hershey's - 30%
• Russell Stover - 27%
• Godiva - 24%
• M&M/Mars - 21%
• Ghirardelli - 20%
• Lindt - 17%
• Nestle - 11%
• Cadbury - 9%
• See's Candies - 8%
• Brach's - 8%

For more information, or to view the full findings and data tables, please visit the Harris Poll News Room.

Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between January 17 and 22, 2013 among 2,278 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

The Harris Poll^® #7, February 11, 2013

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment. Serving clients in more than 196 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients—stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

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SOURCE Harris Interactive