ICM Poll: Christmas Spending

Thinking about your Christmas spending this year, are you most likely to…

Spend More		9%
Spend the same		50%
Spend less		33%
Don’t know		5%
Do not celebrate		3%

A third of all people (33%) said they are likely to spend less on Christmas this year, than they did in 2008. Only one in 10 people (9%) believe they will actually spend more. The majority of people (50%) say they will spend the same amount as last year. People aged 55 to 64 are most likely to be spending less this year (39%), while people aged 65 or over, are least likely to spend less this year (28%).

When will you do most of your Christmas shopping this year, eg, for gifts and seasonal items?

Already done it		4%
During September		1%
During October		14%
During November		34%
First half of December		29%
Second half of December		10%
I won’t do shopping		2%
Don’t know		6%

Almost four in 10 people (39%) will do most of their Christmas shopping during December, with one in 10 (10%) leaving it until the second half of the month. A third of people (34%) will do most of their shopping during November, while 4% of people have already done it. People aged 55 to 64 are most likely (8%) to have already done their Christmas shopping.

Thinking about how much Christmas shopping you do online this year, are you more likely to…

Buy a lot more		13%
Buy a bit more		19%
But the same amount		43%
Buy a bit less		4%
Buy a lot less		1%
I won’t shop online		16%
Don’t know		5%

A third (33%) of people said they will buy more online this year compared with only one in 20 (5%) who said they would buy less. The majority (43%) said they’ll buy the same amount online and 16% said they will not do any of their Christmas shopping on the internet. Regionally, 36% of Scots will be buying more online this year, compared with only 30% of people from the Midlands.

VAT returns to 17.5% on January 1, 2010. How likely or unlikely is that to make you to bring forward significant purchases to December, to take advantage of the current lower rate?

Very likely		9%
Quite likely		23%
Neither likely nor unlikely		37%
Fairly unlikely		11%
Very unlikely		13%
Don’t know		6%

One in 10 people (9%) are very likely to bring forward significant purchases to December to avoid the increase in VAT. A quarter of those surveyed (23%) said they are quite likely to bring forward significant purchases, while 37% are neither likely nor unlikely. In total, 24% are unlikely to bring forward significant purchases. People aged 18 to 24 are significantly more likely to bring purchases forward, compared with people aged 65+.