Most Scots plan to spend less or about the same as last year on Christmas

With just over a week of shopping time left, most Scots say they plan to spend less or about the same on Christmas this year compared to last year. A third of Scots say they plan to spend less (35%) with around half planning to spend about the same (53%). Only one in ten Scots say they plan to spend more than they did last year (11%). Women are more likely to say they plan to spend less (41%), as are people aged 35-54 (48%). The findings will do little to lift the spirits of Scottish retailers, who have seen record falls in pre-Christmas sales. Unemployment, high inflation and pessimism about the prospects for the Scottish and UK economies mean that many Scots will be keeping a close eye on their spending during the festive period. Mark Diffley, Research Director at Ipsos Scotland said

‘Our research clearly shows the tangible effects of the continued economic gloom felt across Scotland and beyond. A significant surge in last minute Christmas spending looks unlikely, as consumer confidence is low and pessimism in the economic outlook grows.’

Download the computer tables (PDF) Technical Note • Results are based on a survey of 1,001 respondents conducted by telephone between 1st December and 4th December 2011. • Data are weighted by age, sex and working status using census data, and tenure using SHS 2007-2008 data, and by public-private sector employment by Scottish Government Quarterly Public Sector Series data. • An asterisk (*) indicates a percentage of less than 0.5% but greater than 0. • Where results do not sum to 100, this may be due to multiple responses or computer rounding. Where the base size is less than 30 the number (N) rather than the percentage of respondents is given.