Six in 10 Americans See Gift Giving as a Competition, Survey Reveals
SWNS
Six in 10 Americans admit they see gift giving as a competition — and they’re trying to “out-gift” their circle of loved ones, according to new research.
A survey of 2,000 Americans revealed sibling rivalries never seem to disappear: of that 61 percent, the top person they’re trying to out-gift this holiday season is their sibling (39 percent).
Amid a tumultuous year, people are making a competitive sport of showing how much they care. And results found they’re also trying to out-gift their friends (37 percent) and their significant other (33 percent).
Conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by De Beers, the survey found this might contribute to the stress of holiday gifting, which is likely already made worse by the overall difficulties of 2020.
With the ongoing pandemic, this festive season will look a little different, and 55 percent are stressed about gifting this year — of those, 24 percent are worried about being “out-gifted” by someone else.
Top gifting stressors include worries over items being sold out (29 percent) and the gift not being appreciated by the recipient (24 percent).
But the number one cause of gift-giving stress is finding the “perfect” gift (30 percent).
Results revealed 74 percent of respondents aren’t satisfied unless they’ve found the perfect gift for their loved ones — and even though the hunt can be exhaustive, 18 percent said they “always” find the perfect gift.
The pressure is especially high this year, too: as a result of the pandemic, 67 percent said it’s more important than ever to find the perfect gift for their family and friends.
And 72 percent said they are hoping to find more meaningful gifts for their loved ones this year.
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That’s partly due to the pandemic, too — 64 percent said their loved ones have gone above and beyond for them throughout 2020, and they want to show their appreciation through a gift.
But what actually makes a gift “perfect”? Respondents said the top indicator was if it’s a gift the recipient had been asking for (46 percent).
That was followed by being something that shows love (40 percent) and something that stands the test of time (40 percent).
When it comes specifically to their significant other, respondents thought a “perfect” gift would be luxury items (38 percent), clothing (36 percent) or technology (33 percent).
When it comes to holiday gift gifting, 84 percent said it’s the thought that counts — and 82 percent said they put a lot of thought into the gifts they give during the holidays.
