One in Three (31%) Say Books are Among their Favourite Gifts to Receive for the Holidays
Toronto, ON, December 11, 2019 — One in three (31%) Canadians say that books are among their favourite gifts to receive during the holidays, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Indigo, placing among Canadians’ top-five gifts to receive. While gift certificates (70%) money (62%), experiences (spas, restaurants, concerts, trips, etc) (40%) and alcohol (37%) rank ahead, books beat out other holiday staples such as clothes (30%), electronics (28%), food (27%) accessories (e.g. jewelry) (24%), home décor (21%) movies (19%), music (15%) and sporting equipment (10%). Books also rank among Canadians’ favourite gift to give as well, with 39% placing it among their favourites.
Canadians also believe that books are tailor-made for the holidays, with 77% believing it is appropriate to give books as a holiday or Christmas gift, placing ahead of birthdays (73%), Mother’s/Father’s Day (66%), as a reward for achievement (62%), a graduation (61%) or a wedding anniversary (30%). However, nine in ten (88%) Canadians say that giving a book is appropriate for any milestone or holiday.
Canadians have many positive things to say about giving books as gifts. Most say it is a thoughtful gesture (87%), while others say it’s a way to show they understand the recipient (79%), a way to show respect (79%), or a way to connect (74%). By comparison, few say giving a book as a gift is a short cut (17%), effortless (24%) or impersonal (29%).
Two thirds (66%) of Canadians say they’re willing to receive a book as a gift for the holidays, peaking at 75% of those aged 18-24 and 72% of those in British Columbia. Among the 34% who don’t wish to receive a book as a gift, the most common reason why is because they like to pick their own books (43%). Roughly equal proportions would prefer to receive fiction (48%) as non-fiction (42%). Thinking about factors that can help a gift-giver choose the right book for the recipient, many are taking clues from the recipient’s favourite author (60%), their hobbies (60%), their favourite book (56%), what they last read (53%), their favourite movie (29%), occupation (21%), favourite TV show (20%), or favourite celebrities (12%).
While a majority (54%) of book gift givers say they do not write a personal note when giving a book, most (77%) Canadians say it would be exciting to receive a book with a personalized note from the recipient. A majority of Canadians would also be excited about the prospect of receiving a book autographed by the author (70%), or a special edition book (74%).
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between October 9th and October 17th, on behalf of Indigo. For this survey, a sample of 1,026 Canadian adults aged 18-70 were interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the target population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians 18-70 been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Sean Simpson, Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs, Canada
+ 416 324-2002
About Ipsos
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