RIA Novosti: Russians Unwilling to See Their First Love Again – Poll

MOSCOW, February 14 (RIA Novosti) – Most Russians remember their first love but only 13 percent would like to meet up with that person again, a poll conducted ahead of St. Valentine’s Day showed.

Eighty-five percent of adult Russians said they had fallen in love, while nine percent of Russians said they have never lost their hearts to another.

Nearly a fifth of those who had been in love said they were still in a relationship with their first love, the survey by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) showed.

Twenty percent of respondents said their feelings had not been requited when they fell in love for the first time, while nearly half (41 percent) said their first love was mutual. However, 39 percent of the latter group said they were not interested in meeting up with him or her again.

Most Russians (57 percent) said they had good memories of their first love, while 6 percent said the experience left them feeling bitter.

Some 42 percent of those who have experienced love said they did not know what had become of their first love. Another 11 percent said they heard news about their ex-partner but did not keep in touch directly. Some 9 percent said they were occasionally in contact.

The poll was conducted on February 9 among 1,600 respondents from 100 Russian cities and towns. The margin of error is 3.6 percent.

Russians are divided over whether to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, a primarily Western European Christian holiday popular in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

An opinion poll conducted by Superjob portal’s research center this month said 60 percent of Russians would not celebrate the holiday. Some 28 percent said they were planning a surprise for their partner.

Russian authorities introduced the Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness – also known as the Day of Saints Peter and Fevronia, the Orthodox patrons of marriage – in 2008 as an alternative to St. Valentine’s Day. The new holiday is celebrated on July 8, and has become a popular date for weddings in Russia.