Clothing tops the gift list from parents: Technology lags in gifts for children
According to the latest YouGov Holiday Omnibus survey, 98% of US parents with children ages 6-17 will be buying them holiday gifts this year. The average expected spend by parents for 6-11 year old children is $241, while average spend for 12-17 year olds reaches $383. This equates to a total annual spend on holiday shopping by parents of children 6-17 of over $15 billion.
Top Gifts from Parents
Clothes are the gift most children are likely to be receiving from their parents in almost every gender and age bracket. Only younger boys (ages 6-11) are more likely to receive toys and games than clothes from their parents this holiday season.
Technology gifts were cited about half as often as clothing as likely presents for girls. And while boys are more likely to receive the technology items than girls, they are still less likely to receive a computer, smartphone or gaming system than they are to receive clothing, entertainment or toys and games. Books are a more likely present from parents to girls than technology gifts.
Top technology items include laptops, notebooks and computers for boys 12-14 (19% parents intending to purchase) and in-home game consoles like Xbox or Wii for boys 15-17 (18%) and boys 6-11 (16%). Game consoles are a far less popular gift for girls of the same ages. Girls ages 12-14 are more likely to receive a cellphone (15%) from their parents compared to only 3% of boys the same age. Girls are three times as likely overall to receive a phone as a gift (9% for girls compared to 3% for boys).
Gift certificates are a go-to gift particularly for girls, and more so as they get older. Nearly half (47%) of girls 15-17 are going to receive gift cards or certificates from their parents.
Percent of parents who plan to give each item to their children:
Note on Methodology: Total sample size was 1,176 parents with children ages 6-17 years old. Fieldwork was undertaken between December 4, 2014 to December 10, 2014. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US parents of children 6-17.
About YouGov: YouGov is an international full-service research and consulting company, which has pioneered the use of technology to collect higher quality, in-depth data for companies, governments, and institutions so that they can better serve the people that sustain them. www.research.yougov.com
