Will u b my Valentine?

• More women  say ‘I love you’ via text than me
• Approximately a third of UK mobile users admit to flirting via text messaging
• 18-25 year olds are the most likely to use SMS to end a relationship
   

While roses, chocolates and romantic dinners will again be the choice of many lovers this Valentine’s Day, a new study by mobile messaging leader Acision, spotlights another popular way to express affection: text messages.

Acision’s research has found that while nearly half (49%) of mobile phone users questioned in the UK have sent “I love you” messages, women are more likely to say ‘I love you’ via text than men. 53% of women admitted they have declared their love in a romantic message versus only 44% of men. Additionally, a third (31%) of UK adult mobile phone users admitted they like to flirt using SMS.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, many Brits are turning their thoughts to romance and SMS has become an increasingly popular way of expressing love. According to the study, the most amorous texting age groups are the 18-25s (60%) and 26-34s (61%), who are most likely to send ‘I love you’ messages (60%) and are amongst the most flirtatious, with almost half admitting to flirting via SMS (46%).  However, the 18-25 group was also the most likely to end a relationship via text, with around a fifth admitting to having done so in the past (18%).

The study also looked at other messaging services, finding that almost half (45%) of respondents who use/send multimedia messaging (MMS) have done so for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day – and more would use this service if it were less expensive.

Steven Van Zanen, SVP Marketing & Strategy of Acision, stated: “The nation’s passion for mobile technologies certainly seems to be paving the way for passionate communications with our loved ones. Twenty years ago a Valentine's Day card and a bunch of red roses was the most appropriate way to say ‘I love you,’ however today it seems messaging is just as acceptable. It is, after all, the message, not the method that counts and the reliability, ubiquity, simplicity, affordability and instantaneous nature of SMS has cemented its popular appeal amongst lovers for showing just how we feel.”

The research, which was conducted on behalf of Acision by independent research company Vanson Bourne, forms part of a wider piece of research on mobile messaging and users’ messaging habits (The Psychology of Messaging), which polled 2,000 mobile device users across the UK and US. Further results from the wider research will be published by Acision shortly.