As the festive season approaches, new YouGov research finds that almost half of Britons (48%) say they will buy a calendar for at least one person this year, with younger adults being far more enthusiastic.
Just over a quarter of Britons (26%) say they expect to buy an Advent calendar for children, making them the most common recipients.
Around one in five (21%) say they will be getting a calendar for their own use. This rises sharply among younger adults – four in ten 18-24-year-olds (41%) say they plan to buy an Advent calendar for themselves, compared with far fewer among older age groups, including just 8% of the over-65s.
At the same time, nearly half of Britons (47%) say they have no plans to buy or make an Advent calendar this year. Older adults are particularly likely to skip the tradition, with nearly two-thirds of those aged 65+ (65%) saying they do not intend to take part.
Among those who do plan to buy a ready-made calendar, most expect to keep spending low. The clear majority of shoppers say they would spend less than £10 (64%), and only a small minority are willing to go above £20 (15%). Big-ticket options – such as calendars costing £50 or more – have very limited appeal (just 4% are willing to buy at this price point).
When asked what type of Advent calendar they would most like to receive (and being allowed to pick up to three), chocolate is by far the favourite, at 62%.
Less traditional forms of Advent calendar are less appealing: drinks-based calendars are the favourite for 18%, beauty or cosmetics calendars for 14% (23% among women), and other food delicacy calendars for 13%.
Supermarkets and discount stores remain the most popular places for buying Advent calendars, far ahead of online retailers or more specialist shops. A majority (57%) say they would prefer to buy from these everyday retailers, compared with 12% who would choose an online shop and 5% a specialist store.
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