Survey results: what the British really think about their Christmas presents
Christmas gifts really matter to us at Ripple Effect, and not because we love tearing off the wrapping paper. In all our work we are committed to sustainability – because the effects of man-made global heating are having such a dramatic impact on the families of rural east Africa. And there is no wrapping, or plastic, or hiding it at the back of the drawer, with a virtual gift that support people growing their way out of poverty with sustainable agriculture.
Why we wanted to know
Our online virtual gift catalogue Ripple Effect | Charity Gifts Online brings in essential income for funding our work, which is all the more valuable for being “unrestricted” (not tied to the funding of a specific project).
That means the donations can be directed wherever the need is greatest across the six countries where we work: which might be responding urgently to changing needs, filling the gaps in project funding not provided by institutional donors, or paying for additional support services.
But do enough people want to buy virtual charity gifts from a service like ours? We need to make sure we’re applying our resources effectively, so we commissioned a survey of 1,000 British consumers to find out what you care about when buying and receiving your Christmas gifts.
Here’s what we found out
- 41 per cent of adults say they regift, sell, return or donate some of the presents they receive
- Younger people are harder to please: 1 in 5 of 18-to-25-year-olds admitted to always passing on, returning, or donating presents they’ve received.
You know those recipients: the “person who has everything”. The relative who just wants you to click on the link to buy the thing they’ve chosen. The person with very decided tastes and style, and whose home is “carefully curated”.
- On average, we’re spending £69.20 on gifts the recipients don’t want.
That’s a lot of money to waste.
And it’s not that we’re not trying (and just buying bath salts for everyone): 49% of gift-buyers say they’re putting much more thought into what they choose.
But the need to choose “the perfect thing” is relentless, and 72% of us say we feel anxious about buying gifts for people.
The solution: “conscious giving” – or giving-with-a-conscience
The survey results show that it really is “the thought that counts”.
Even if they don’t really like a present, over three-quarters of recipients (78%) say they appreciate a gift more when it has a thoughtful or emotional value. (That might include those wonky hand-knitted socks, or the £2 so carefully spent by a child in a bargain shop.)
Charity gifts are likely to be winners
The great news for us at Ripple Effect, originators of the first online “virtual” gift guide, Ripple Effect | Charity Gifts Online, and all our supporters, is that a charity gift – even if you don’t get it exactly right – is going to land well.
74% of people say that even if they wouldn’t have chosen it for themselves, a present that supports a charitable cause is seen as positive and meaningful.
So you can browse our gift shop with confidence. Friends and relations appreciate the commitment behind the gift – and you may even persuade them round to our way of thinking: that sustainable gifts are better, and supporting sustainable agriculture in the most challenged communities in east Africa is the best!
Consider life-changing charity gifts this Christmas
Want to see how people react to receiving a charity gift this Christmas? We have over 40 charity gifts that help transform lives in rural Africa.
You can choose to gift it virtually, or with a lovely card to place in their stockings. Regardless of your choice, they will receive information about the impact of their charity gift.
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