Cork consumers expect to spend more than €450 on Christmas presents, survey finds 

Findings from a survey released by PayPal have found that people in Cork expect to spend an average of €462 on Christmas gifts this festive season.

The research has also found that almost half (46%) of Irish consumers surveyed would prefer to send money to family and friends to avoid buying Christmas gifts.

Polling 1,001 consumers across Ireland, the survey also revealed that more than three-quarters (78%) would prefer to spend quality time with friends and family rather than buying them gifts this Christmas.

As well as gifting, 47% of Irish consumers surveyed expect to spend more on social events and gatherings this festive season.

Given the expectations around spending, there appears to be a shift towards sharing the load and cost when it comes to festive gifting, with 63% of Irish consumers surveyed saying they will engage in bill-splitting or group purchases.

The top bill splitting activities were revealed to be nights out (47%), family gifts (37%), and Christmas dinner (35%).

When paying people back, 46% of people typically round up, while just over a third (36%) would pay people back to the exact cent.

Some 49% of people surveyed feel under pressure to spend more than planned or budgeted based on what others are spending.

While it also appears that people are eager to get their Christmas shopping completed, with two-thirds (66%) predicting they will have theirs finished by the second week of December.

Just 14% appear to be last-minute shoppers, completing their purchases on Christmas week or on Christmas Eve.

One area people are not feeling awkward about is loud budgeting (being honest with others about their finances), with 47% saying they would feel comfortable telling friends or family they haven’t budgeted for a specific activity or gift.