Date nights looked very different or didn't exist for most couples in 2020. We surveyed ~300 Minnesotans in January 2021, to see how couples expect date nights to change in the coming year. We asked questions to see how quickly couples are returning to date nights, what date night activities they are most eager to do, as well as more questions on their upcoming date night habits. We also wanted to see what their plans are for the most popular date night of the year, Valentine’s Day.
Our takeaways from our 2021 Date Night Survey are below.
1) Assuming businesses stay open do you plan on going on a date night over the next 30 days?
Of the 282 people who answered this question, most are already planning their next date with 87% of couples planning on going out in the next 30 days, while only 13% are not.
2) What is keeping you from going out on date night?
Of the 38 people who indicated they are not going out, 56% highlighted the main reason was related to contracting COVID-19. The remaining 44% of respondents state reasons, which include they don’t go on date nights, being too busy and other reasons such as they can’t find a babysitter.
3) Which date night activity are you most eager to do?
Of the couples who plan to go out, 41% of them are most eager to return to bars and restaurants for date night. Followed by breweries (17%), live entertainment, such as concerts, shows, etc. (17%) and outdoor activities (13%).
Couples who plan on going out are least eager to go mini golfing (1%), to an arcade (1%) and bowling (3%). This makes sense given the high contact nature of these activities compared to the others.
4) Assuming businesses remain open, how do you expect the number of date nights you go on in 2021 to be compared to pre-COVID years?
With many businesses being closed and couples forced to stay in for most of 2020 we were expecting the majority of couples going on more date nights from prior years in 2021. That said, 44% of couples expect the number of date nights to remain the same, while date nights plan to increase for 29% of couples and decrease for the remaining 27%. Couples who expect to increase the number of date nights highlighted the lack of date nights in 2020 as the primary reason.
5) Assuming businesses remain open, on average how many date nights per month do you expect to go on in 2021?
When it comes to how many, most couples (56%) are expected to go on 1- 2 date nights per month. Meanwhile, 30% of couples plan to go on 3 – 4 date nights and 10% plan to go on 5+ date nights per month.
6) Is it likely you will go out for Valentine's Day this year?
The biggest date night of the year, Valentine’s Day, is right around the corner, and the majority (54%) of couples are not planning to go out. Couples who are looking to stay in, you can always make date night a great night from home. Especially with Let's Go's Date Night at Home Experiences.
7) What is your ideal Valentine's Day date?
Of the couples that are planning to go out, the number one activity among couples will be a romantic dinner (47%), followed by a fun activity (29%) such as bowling, mini golf, etc and cocktails and great conversation (16%).
Key Takeaways
Based on our 2021 Date Night Survey results couples are more than ready to get back to their regular date night routines, and we believe most are already heading back out on date nights. Even though most couples are expecting there date night habits to remain relatively the same at 1-2 per month, we believe more couples will find themselves venturing out more then they expect as COVID conditions improve. When couples go out, we do expect most to stick to socially distant date night experiences, and expect restaurants, breweries, bars and outdoor activities to perform the best in 2021. However, as concerns around COVID-19 taper off, we expect active experiences like mini golfing, bowling and arcades to return in popularity. The bottom line is despite living in a world where COVID-19 exists, the fact couples are making date night a priority shows how important sharing quality time is for relationships.