Gifting Unwrapped
The Great British Present Poll
Giving presents is nothing new. Long before the days of gift cards and aftershave, ancient cave-dwellers received teeth, stones and necklaces from their admirers; the Egyptians buried gifts with the deceased; and dads have been getting socks for Christmas since time immemorial. But how generous are we at gifting today ?
We took a temperature check on the British public’s appetite for gifting. Are we a nation of generous givers? Or miserly grifters? TK Maxx commissioned an exclusive survey to uncover the UK’s gifting habits. Hold onto your hats and get a load of these stats:
Give a little to get a little
We all like to shower our loved ones with gifts, but we wanted to find out which occasions are most likely to inspire us to dig deep into our pockets. What glorious gift ideas do we come up with, and how does that compare to the presents we like to receive ourselves?
As you can see, the arrival of a new baby is a time of celebration, and an opportunity to rummage through the clothes aisles. 62% of respondents said they like to buy clothes and accessories as a a gift for newborns , and this was also the most popular item for new parents to receive (39%).
Meanwhile, if you’re stumped for a wedding gift , you’re in good company if you give cash, vouchers or gift cards – 59% of respondents said this was their gift of choice when buying for the happy couple, while 51% did so for engagements. But what thanks do we get for all these heart-warming money-off mementos? Thankfully, cash, vouchers and gift cards came out as the most popular gift (32%) among newlyweds after their walk down the aisle. Phew!
Mother’s Day has the ‘aww’ factor, as people were most likely to buy flowers (63%) for their mums. Probably a good thing given that 48% of mamas agreed that it is, in fact, their preferred gift. When it comes to gifting on Father’s Day , people were most likely to give food as a present (40%), but it turns out that papas would rather receive bubbly or beer, with 37% citing alcohol as their top Father’s Day gift. In summary, don’t waste your money on all that extra grub.
Big-hearted Britain
Our survey paints a picture of a nation that loves to splash out on their nearest and dearest. In fact, over the last 12 months, Brits say they’ve given 8 gifts on average, and received 7 presents in return. But scratching beneath the present wrapper, what does the Great British gifting map look like?
It may come as no surprise to people in Wales, but according to our poll, it’s the most generous-spirited region in the UK – 66% of people in Wales say they prefer to give, and just 17% prefer to receive. We knew we loved Wales, but now we know where we want to spend Christmas. Similarly, people in Wales gave an average of 8.6 gifts over the past year – joint top with Scotland, and ahead of the south of England, which averaged 8.1.
Elsewhere, it seems the key to a Londoner’s heart is to ply them with gifts – 28% of people in the capital said they prefer to receive gifts than give them, compared to just 13% in the rest of the UK. Londoners also bought more gifts for themselves (5.2) over the past year than any other region – the UK average was 3.9. It’s called self-care, darlings.
It also seems that generosity increases with age; 66% of over 55s said they prefer to give gifts (the highest of any age group), and only 5% prefer to receive (the lowest of any age group). Young people (18 to 34-year-olds) were the most likely to say they prefer to receive gifts – 26% in total. Loot gatherers of the world: we salute you.
Generous to a fault
Not every gift is warmly received. Our survey sheds some light on the gifts people like, compared to the cold, hard reality of the gifts they actually get.
If you’re one of those happy couples who’s announced your engagement, start making space in your wallet or purse, because 51% of people give gift cards or cash for this special occasion. In contrast, couples would rather receive a home furnishing gift as their engagement present (26% of those polled) whereas only 25% want gift cards or cash. Bit awkward…
Elsewhere, food was the most popular Christmas gift purchase (55%), but people were actually most likely to want to receive cash, vouchers or a gift card (37%). And for other religious holidays, food was again top of the to-buy list (44%), but recipients were more interested in getting beauty or personal care items (34%). What’s wrong with a box of chocolates, eh?
As we all know, even with the best will in the world, some people are just – ahem – a nightmare to buy for. We asked the public to name the most difficult people when it comes to buying them a present. Sorry dads, but you came out on top at 15% of respondents, compared to just 6% for daughters, who were deemed the easiest to buy for. Daughters, take a bow.
How we gift as our relationships grow
Gifts have been a way of expressing love and affection long before cavemen could even paint a QR code. And as our survey suggests, present buying is a big deal before, during and after a relationship.
Unsurprisingly, we have no problem buying a special treat for those we’re dating, or during the early weeks and months of a romance. But it’s called the ‘honeymoon period’ for a reason, so what happens when a relationship matures and we start arguing furiously about who’s not done the dishes (again)?
Nearly a quarter (26%) of women feel the number of gifts they receive from their partner has reduced in frequency over the years, compared to 20% of men who said the same.
However, it appears that a maturing relationship does little to dampen the spirit of giving – 69% of respondents say the amount of presents they’ve given and received has stayed the same as their relationship has progressed. In fact, almost half (47%) agree that gifts are a great way of breathing new life into a relationship. So, if your relationship’s on the rocks – reach for the shopping trolley.
In a typical year, couples buy 3.8 gifts for their partner (excluding birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries). There was also a notable gender split in the types of gifts we buy for our loved ones. Male partners say they’re most likely to buy their other halves a fragrance or aftershave (36%) while women are most likely to buy their partner clothing and accessories (44%).
And sadly, not every relationship – and gift buying experience – has a happy ending.
In truth, the responses show how gifts are part of our romantic journeys at every stage – from a blossoming relationship to a difficult breakup, and everything in between.
The gift that keeps on giving
We’ve all been there – you open a present in anticipation and… you hate it. Well, it turns out that many of us have no issue with passing on presents we don’t like. In fact, 41% of those we surveyed said they’ve regifted a present, and 19% have considered regifting but have never done it.
There are many reasons why we might regift, but which items are we regifting the most, and is it something to feel awkward about, or a brilliant solution to our throwaway habits?
Of course, not everyone fancies wearing those dog-eared, moth-eaten hand-me-downs from a mate, but we found that regifting is more likely to be an act of generosity than a simple, ‘nah, I don’t like it’.
Of course, it’s not an either/or, and giving to others and protecting our own health and wellbeing is not mutually exclusive. Rather than wait for a gift we don’t like, shouldn’t we embrace the freedom to spend our hard-earned cash on the things we do?
Will we splurge this Christmas?
Unless you’ve been on Mars for the past year, you’ll be all too familiar with the impact of the cost of living crisis – and for some, the financial strain has been particularly challenging. But how have our present-buying plans been affected in these belt-tightening times?
If you’re one of those happy couples who’s announced your engagement, start making space in your wallet or purse, because 51% of people give gift cards or cash for this special occasion. In contrast, couples would rather receive a home furnishing gift as their engagement present (26% of those polled) whereas only 25% want gift cards or cash. Bit awkward…More than half (56%) told us they expect to spend less on Christmas gifts this year due to the increased cost of living. This rose to 62% among women, compared to 49% of men. Some have even used the warmer months to plan their Christmas spree – 37% said they held back on summer spending to be able to have a normal Christmas this year. And we’re sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but 36% say they are ‘dreading’ Christmas due to the costs involved.
Can we still feel good about gifting?
Despite the ups and downs of the not-so-roaring ‘20s, gifting has been a part of our lives since day dot – from Gold and Frankincense to Maltesers. And you know what? Our great gifting habits aren’t going anywhere. While modern trends like self-gifting and regifting have changed the way we think about pressies, this is by no means an indication that we’re miserable about mementos. And while we’re undoubtedly living through tough times, 58% of those we polled agreed that ‘regardless of the cost of living increase, I want to make sure my family/kids don’t miss out this Christmas’.
So the next time you dig into your pockets and decide what to buy, we hope our exclusive present poll gives you all the inspiration you need. All that’s left to do is have your elf a merry little Christmas.