Over half (56%) of men who are in a relationship might say yes
A fifth of women (22%) in a relationship would consider proposing on a leap year

The ancient tradition that women can propose to ‘the one’ on the 29th February has historically led to men having sleepless nights as the date approaches. According to Opinium Research, 2012 should be no different.

This year a staggering 200,000 women are swallowing their fears and planning to take the leap! And while an inspiring number of women are gearing up to raise that all-important question, men who are not asked today should not breathe a sigh of relief quite yet. A fifth of women (22%) said they would definitely consider asking those four little words when a leap year comes around in the future.

When men were asked if they would accept their girlfriend’s proposal, only 14% said they would turn it down (believing that they themselves should pop the question), while 56% of men would consider accepting their partner’s proposal.

James Endersby, managing director of Opinium Research, commented: “Those crucial four words “Will you marry me?” are usually uttered by men but this year it seems that brave women across the country will encourage that convention to change and are wearing the trousers in their relationship instead. Hot on the heels of Valentine’s Day this opportunity only rolls around once every four years, so to all those women out there planning to pop the question – good luck!”