Re-gifting set to be festive trend

10 November 2008 03:07pm

As the credit crunch hits home this Christmas, up to 15 million people may recycle old gifts from last year to give to friends and family, a survey revealed.

A third of Britons have admitted giving unwanted presents and the trend could increase this year as the economy heads into recession.

Almost 10 million women (39%) admitted to re-gifting, compared to just 26% of men.

The research by magazinesbymail.net reveals that there appears to be a north-south divide, with 37% of people in the London area having passed on presents, compared to just 24% of people in the Borders region admitting to this habit.

People in the North East are perhaps the most unlikely to need to re-gift with almost a quarter of people (22%) saying they had never received a Christmas gift they did not like, while only 7% of people in Northern Ireland were able to make this claim.

The research also revealed that this Christmas, credit crunch pressures look set to put UK gift givers on target to make cut backs of over £7 billion.

Last year people spent an average of £410 on presents - a total of £20 billion.

This year the credit crunch is set to have a marked effect on spending, with people set to make savings of £155 on presents.

:: A YouGov survey polled 2,062 adults online between June 6 and 9.

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