TORONTO, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The results of a survey conducted in Canada indicate the majority of the country's residents give Valentine's Day gifts out of desire, not guilt.
The survey commissioned by MasterCard Canada found 93 percent of female respondents who celebrate the Feb. 14 holiday give gifts to loved ones because they want to, not because they are expected to, the Canwest News Service said Monday.
In comparison, 82 percent of male respondents who celebrate Valentine's Day said their gifts were based on desire and not on following social norms regarding the romantic holiday.
Among the 1,013 individuals who took part in the survey, 67 percent said they spend less than $50 on Valentine's Day gifts ranging from flowers to cards.
"You don't have to spend a lot to say a lot," MasterCard Director of Public Relations Julie Wilson said. "The first time my significant other told me he loved me it was on Valentine's Day, and he (said) it in a card... That little piece of paper that cost him $3 means the world to me."
The Research House survey, conducted Jan. 25-29, has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
