Gen Z are proving the most romantic of all age groups, according to a consumer survey from hospitality booking platform DesignMyNight, which reveals that Gen Z – those aged 18 to 28 – are the most likely to be out celebrating Valentine’s Day this Friday, with 58% planning to go out compared with just 39% of millennials (aged 29-44), a third (33%) of Gen X (aged 45 to 60) and 27% of boomers (aged 61 to 70).
When it comes to paying for their Valentine’s Day meal the majority of respondents in a long-term relationship think it best to split the cost (41%), while 35% thought the man should pay and 24% preferred taking it in turns each year. Gen Z were the most likely age group to split the bill (44%).
Taken geographically, people from Manchester were most likely to be happy to split the bill (53%) compared with 40% of Londoners and 22% of those from Edinburgh.
The choice of venue divided respondents between those preferring a fine dining restaurant and those opting for somewhere quirky and unusual. Gen Z were most likely to want to go to a fine dining restaurant (49%) with the majority of millennials and Gen X preferring a quirky, cool venue. By location, it was Londoners who would prefer a fine dining venue (41%), compared with only 30% of those in Manchester, the majority of whom prefer a quirky restaurant (38%).
Gen Z respondents were also more likely to be up for including an activity as part of their evening out along with a meal, with 62% opting for both, while the majority of boomers say they’d be happy with just a meal (50%).
So how much are people prepared to spend to give their partner a romantic evening? Around half of all respondents say they would spend over £50 per head on a meal out on Valentine’s Day (56.7%), while 18.6% would spend around £25 per head although 11% are prepared to spend over £100 per person.
And for a lucky 13% – and an equal percentage of men and women – cost doesn’t matter as romance on Valentine’s Day was the key, with millennials being the most likely age group to say this (50%) followed by Gen Z (27%).
Birmingham had some of the biggest spenders in the survey, with 20% saying money was no object when it comes to a Valentine’s meal, compared with Manchester where only 6% took that view.
“It’s fascinating to see the difference in attitudes between the age groups,” commented DesignMyNight head of brand Katie Kirwan. “And rather than dismiss Valentine’s Day as being an outdated tradition, it’s the younger generation that are really making it count but doing it very much their way.”
When respondents were asked what their most memorable Valentine’s Day was, answers ranged from the romantic ‘fish and chips on the beach’, ‘a river cruise on the Thames’, ‘a sunset dinner in Ibiza’ and ‘a jazz evening at Ronnie Scott’s’ to the less romantic ‘fuming when my partner brought me a mop’, ‘camping in a cold tent with a leaky roof’, ‘getting wilted flowers from the garage’, ‘getting dumped’, and ‘my husband buying me 10 cheese straws’.
