Americans love to say 'I love you'

Nearly three-quarters of Americans – not counting those who live alone – say “I love you” at least once a day, according to a new poll.

And that goes for men as well as for women.

The poll, conducted in November by Reader’s Digest and the Gallup Organisation, asked 1,000 adult men and women living in households how often they said those three little words to their spouse or children.

Seventy-three per cent claimed they said it once a day, including 71% of men and 74% of women.

In addition, 14% claimed to say “I love you” several times a week and 5% used it once a week, which would mean 92% of Americans say the words at least once a week – and not just on St Valentine’s Day.

A third of those who responded said they found themselves saying “I love you” more than they did five years ago.

The poll had a margin of error of five percentage points.