How some families respond to the festive season

A Families Commission poll shows many people have clear ideas on how to manage their Christmas preparations but this doesn’t mean they don’t feel the pressure.

The poll of members of the Commission’s online feedback panel The Couch was responded to by 679 people.

Over half said they usually spend under $500 on Christmas presents. Two out of ten spend up to $700 dollars and a similar number spend more than that.

Chief Commissioner Dr Jan Pryor said “It was interesting to see that most of these people bought their presents well in advance and one in ten were members of a pre-pay Christmas club such as those supported by some supermarkets.”

Most said they spend under $500 on additional groceries for the festive season while three quarters said they spent under $300 on alcohol.

Over two thirds felt under some level of pressure to spend a lot of money over the holiday season, however one third said they would cut back on spending this year because of uncertainty over the economy.

Two out of three reported feeling some level of stress over the coming festive season. For most the stress related to finances, however two out of ten also said their stress was related to family tensions.

Dr Pryor says the Commission has used the ideas and information from The Couch panel members for a new holiday season webpage which includes some practical hints and tips as well as links to support agencies that some people may be looking for over the holiday season.

For full results of the Couch poll go to www.thecouch.org.nz and to www.nzfamiles.org.nz for the holiday season web page

Note the feedback panel is made up of a broad cross section of New Zealand ethnicities and most respondents are parents.

ENDS

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