A strong majority (70%) of people in Northern Ireland say the Christmas build-up has come too early, according to a recent YouGov Northern Ireland poll.
Seven in ten (70%) people in Northern Ireland think that signs of Christmas, such as shops starting to stock Christmas items, Christmas-themed advertising, lights and decorations have appeared too soon this year. Only 21% of the Northern Irish public say Christmas has come at about the right time.
Christmas spending
The top three ways people in Northern Ireland say they will pay for things like food and gifts over Christmas are with cash, credit card and savings, with 11% saying they will use their overdraft facility.
- Over three-quarters (76%) of the Northern Irish public plan to pay for Christmas presents and food with cash
- Almost a third (31%) say they will fund Christmas through their credit card
- Nearly three in ten (29%) will pay for Christmas expenditures with their savings and investments
- 11% of the Northern Irish public plan to use their overdrafts
The poll also reveals how people in Northern Ireland plan to spend less money this Christmas, with almost half (48%) saying they will buy less expensive gifts and cards.
- 48% of the Northern Irish public say they have considered buying cheaper presents and cards this Christmas to decrease their Christmas expenditure
- Over four in ten (42%) say they would buy fewer gifts and cards
- More than a third (34%) have considered using loyalty card points for their Christmas spending
Turkey for Christmas
Almost three-quarters (73%) of the Northern Irish public say they are looking forward to eating roast turkey on Christmas Day, while 41% are excited for sausages wrapped in bacon and nearly one in four (39%) will eat Brussels sprouts.
- 73% of people in Northern Ireland will have roast turkey for Christmas lunch
- Over four in ten (41%) plan to have sausages wrapped in bacon
- 39% say they will eat Brussels sprouts
- A little less (38%) will enjoy mince pies on Christmas Day
- Just fewer than a third (32%) of people in Northern Ireland plan to have Christmas pudding
However, over six in ten (63%) of the Northern Irish public expect to remain roughly the same weight over the Christmas period, compared to over a quarter (26%) that think they will gain weight and 6% that say they will lose weight.
Eamonn Finn, Account Manager for YouGov in Northern Ireland said: “While Christmas is known as the season of goodwill its seems that for the majority of people in Northern Ireland we could do with it being that little bit shorter. Preparing for Christmas can be a very stressful time so it seems that for the majority of people here a later start to the season would be a welcome Christmas present.”
See the full survey results here
