Post by Kathy Steinberg, Research Manager, Public Relations Research
Following up on Laura's post last week about toy giving this holiday season, a survey we recently conducted on behalf of World Vision, the international relief and development organization, also found that a majority of U.S. adults (57%) will spend less money on holiday presents in general this year as a result of the current economic climate. The news isn't all bad however...
Though more than half of Americans plan to spend less on holiday gifts this year, this is a considerable decrease from last year, when about 7 in 10 adults (71%) said they would be spending less on presents as a result of the recession. Could this mean that we've reached an inflection point -- is the economy re-bounding, along with consumer confidence? And if so, who will benefit?
The World Vision survey suggests that perhaps those most in need will be helped first:
- The vast majority of adults (95%) feel it is especially important to help children during the holiday season, with nearly 4 in 5 (78%) strongly agreeing (maybe Laura's daughter will get that puppy after all?).
- More than 9 in 10 Americans (92%) believe it is especially important to help the poor during the holiday season, and about 2 in 3 (67%) strongly agree.
- Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) think charitable gifts can make a real difference in meeting the unmet needs of those living in poverty, and about 3 in 4 (74%) say they plan to increase their charitable giving once the economy improves (more than 1 in 3 (35%) strongly agree).
So, while the recession has affected both holiday spending and charitable giving in general, perhaps the worst is over. What do you think? Have we started the climb back from rock-bottom? When the economy eventually does improve, do you plan to make any changes to your charitable giving?
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