PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are traditional romantics at heart, with most saying that men should pay for their Valentine’s Day date and that “a dinner at a nice restaurant” is their idea of a perfect night out.
This was reflected in a global survey by Groupon, which included 1,921 respondents from Malaysia, on Valentine’s Day attitudes and preferences of couples and singles.
Some 74% of Malaysian men in the poll believed they should foot the bill while 64% of the fairer sex agreed with the convention.
About 40% of Malaysians also chose the typical option to woo their beloved over a cosy dinner, when asked for their idea of a perfect date.
“Another 14% answered ‘staying in for the night snuggled up on the sofa’, which was the highest of the 17 countries polled,” Groupon Malaysia said in a statement.
Love is also very much in the air during Valentine’s Day here as many Malaysians consider the date as a cause for celebration.
“Some 48% of respondents say that the occasion showed how much they cared about their lover while another 22% said it was important to them,” said the Malaysian branch of the popular online coupon site.
However, Malaysians were not so frank when it came to cancelling their dates, with only 37% of them saying they would be honest if they had changed their minds.
“The most popular excuse to skip a date was that they were ‘working late’, as polled by 20% of respondents,” Groupon Malaysia said.
Nevertheless, Malaysians were a forgiving lot if their partners forgot about Valentine’s Day, with 64% saying that it wouldn’t matter since “every day is Valentine’s Day for us”.
“That’s the highest of any country surveyed in the region and the second highest overall, behind Spain,” said Groupon Malaysia.
As for pick-up lines, 26% of Malaysian men chose: “You’re so beautiful that you made me forget my pick-up line” as their favourite.
Another pick-up line, gaining the approval of 22% of men and women, was: “Are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile.”
Groupon Malaysia country manager Rafiq Razali said Malaysians cared about Valentine’s Day but also treated every day as a special and romantic one, as revealed by the survey results.
“We wish everyone a special day, and we’ll continue to help with great offers, not just on Valentine’s Day but 365 days a year,” he said.
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