This year’s Christmas Eve dinner will be more modest for 42% of Polish families. One in three Poles plans to save money on food (31%), and one in ten (10%) will forgo gift-giving to loved ones altogether. This year, nearly one in five people (19%) wants to give up buying a traditional Christmas tree, according to the Quality Watch survey commissioned by BIG InfoMonitor. On average, Poles plan to spend PLN 1,157 to organize Christmas – although this is PLN 15 more than last year, it represents a 16% drop in real terms.
The crisis has meant that for as many as 42% of those asked, Christmas this year will be more modest than in previous years. In comparison, only 26% of respondents gave such an answer in 2021.
“A reduction in spending is particularly planned by those over 65. (49%), which should come as no surprise. People in this age group are currently in an extremely difficult financial situation. Benefits such as pensions are no longer enough for them to cover even the most basic needs. Hence, prices rising at an alarming rate effectively deter enthusiasts of sumptuous Christmas Eve dinners. Even the elderly, for whom tradition, after all, plays a huge role,” said BIG InfoMonitor chief analyst Waldemar Rogowski.
A more modest Christmas than usual is also significantly more likely to be arranged by those with children (46%) than those without offspring (37%). For 56% of Poles, this year’s Christmas will be the same as always – that is, neither more nor less lavish.
Poles will spend an average of PLN 1,157 on organizing Christmas in 2022. The largest part of this amount will be spent on Christmas gifts (PLN 431 on average) and food (PLN 426 on average). Spending on other categories, including decorations, trips, or cleaning products closes in the range of PLN 50 to 110. Noteworthy is the wide range of spending – each time from PLN 0 (people declaring they will not spend anything on a given purpose) to even PLN 5,000 – in the gifts category, according to the report.
There will be fewer of us at the Christmas table this year, as one in seven people (14%) will forgo inviting guests due to savings. Among those who gave such an answer, those in the 65+ age group have the advantage – 23% will spend this time alone, the report emphasized.
Less than half of Poles (44%) will incur expenses on trips, with only 5% spending more than PLN 300.
Nearly one in three respondents (30%) will not bestow expensive gifts on their loved ones this year. Mainly people over 65 will refrain from buying expensive items. (36%). 22% of Poles will buy fewer gifts, and 10% will abandon the custom altogether. The BIG InfoMonitor survey shows that an average of PLN 431 will be spent on gifts, that’s PLN 20 less than in 2021.
“The high inflation that Poles are facing today, unseen for two decades, has meant that although they will deplete their wallets more during Christmas shopping than they did a year ago, they will also be forced to give up many of their habits and traditional expenses. This is because our survey has shown the extent to which the current economic situation has negatively revised this year’s plans,” Rogowski added.
The vast majority of Poles will finance the holidays with current funds, as indicated by 84% of respondents, while only 13% will reach for savings. Various forms of debt to cover Christmas expenses are indicated by only 3% of people. Poles will also use Christmas bonuses and employee vouchers to organize the holidays, the report concluded.
Source: BIG InfoMonitor and ISBnews
