How many Britons worry about finances at Christmas time?
For all the festive cheer, Christmas does come with its issues, including a sometimes-hefty price tag.
A third of Britons (33%) say they are typically at least fairly worried about the impact of Christmas on their personal finances, with this rising to 42% among those in households with incomes of under £30,000.
Those aged 35-49, the age group most likely to have young children, are the most likely to be concerned about the impact on their finances, with 42% saying they are usually at least fairly worried.
Just 21% of Britons say they have no worries at all about Christmas’s impact on their personal finances.
How much do Britons spend on Christmas presents?
Presents are generally one of the biggest Christmas costs, though the total spend is likely to depend on both how many people you are buying for and who exactly those people are, with differing expectations for different types of people.
For parents buying presents for their children, nearly half (45%) are spending up to £100 per child and around half (49%) are spending more.
Just 6% say they would typically spend less than £30 per child, with 15% spending between £31-50. At the other end of the scale, one in five parents (20%) say they would typically spend more than £200 per child on gifts.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, wealthier parents spend more on presents. A third of parents in households with an income of less than £30,000 (34%) spend more than £100 per child, rising to 47% of those in households with an income between £30,000-£50,000 and 63% of those in households with an income above £50,000.
Among those with children under 18, the average spend is higher, with 61% of parents spending more than £100 per child, including 27% who spend more than £200. This compares to 34% spending less than £100 per child.
When it comes to romantic partners, around half of those who buy a partner a Christmas present (46%) say they’d typically spend less than £100, while a similar proportion (44%) say they spend more than that amount, including one in six (16%) who say they’d spend more than £200.
Men are bigger spenders on their partners than women, with 50% saying they spend more than £100 on their partner’s Christmas presents, relative to 39% of women who buy their partner a gift.
Among grandparents buying gifts for their grandchildren, nearly half (46%) are spending up to £50 per child while the same number are going above that level. One in five grandparents (20%) spend more than £100 per grandchild, while 7% spend less than £20.
When it comes to buying gifts for parents, the median spend is between £31-50. Gifts for siblings and friends come with a lower price tag, with £21-30 the median category for spending on each sibling, while the median spend on a friend is between £11-20.
How much do Britons spend at Christmas?
Asked separately to guess their typical spend on Christmas presents, the median total estimate given is £300.
Beyond Christmas presents, other costs can rack up. Among those buying festive food and drink, the median expected spend is £150, while those who travel for the holidays expect a median bill of £50.
For those attending seasonal social events, the estimated median price tag is £100, while those going on other Christmas-related outings expect to be forking out £60 for them on average.
Among those who estimated a total spend for each of the five items or said they do not expect to spend any money on that this Christmas, the median total Christmas spend amounts to £550.
Interested in taking YouGov surveys? How much do you spend at Christmas? How do you feel about your personal finances in general, and everything else? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.
Interested in commissioning YouGov research? We connect in real-time with real people around the world to gather their thoughts, behaviours, and opinions, to ensure that our research data is powered by reality. Explore our survey services here.
Photo: Getty
