Basking Ridge, NJ(December 2, 2009) — Research released today by Lightspeed Research (www.lightspeedresearch.com), a leading online market research company, shows that a majority (64%) of Americans think it’s annoying or crazy that stores have Christmas decorations up before Halloween. Feeling most strongly about it were men and women over 55. But there was a strong minority report from 18-24 year olds in favor because it reminds them to do their holiday shopping.
About a third of those questioned thought Christmas displays should wait until after Thanksgiving, with 55+ year olds most clearly against earlier displays. There was virtually no support for Christmas goods appearing before October, but there was a strong showing in other age groups that a mid-November start would be fine with them.
When asked about their Christmas shopping habits it was clear that men are more likely than women to leave gift shopping until December and that the 55+ group are much more likely than other ages to shop throughout the year, with very little difference between the sexes. Not so when buying Christmas cards, with about one quarter of those asked saying they don’t buy any holiday cards – with men (33%) being much more likely to say this than women (22%). Perhaps unsurprisingly, most cards are bought in November and December, though there is a significant contingent that buys in late December when the cards are discounted.
There was an element of ‘bah humbug’ in responses about advertisements for toys on sale before December. While most thought the number of offers were about right, the majority of the over 55s felt that there were too many. When it came to buying gifts most people said they would be spending about the same as last year, however, women in general and the 35-54s in particular thought they would be spending less.
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Note to Editors
The survey was carried out online with 1000 respondents surveyed between November 5-8, 2009.
About Lightspeed
Through proprietary global panels and research products and services, Lightspeed Research delivers valuable research to help businesses make informed decisions. From recruitment, to activity level, to ongoing profiling, Lightspeed Research’s panels are actively managed to provide engaged survey respondents and support studies that range in scope and complexity across industry sectors. Deeply profiled specialty panels including automotive, B2B, beverage, familyand household, finance, health and wellness, media consumption, mobile phone, beauty and personal care, sports and hobbies, and travel and leisure, provide quick access to target audiences. As a leader in quality, Lightspeed Research has implemented extensive measures to prevent fraudulent panel registrations and poor survey data.
Lightspeed Research is part of Kantar, the information, insight and consultancy division of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services companies. For more information, please visit www.lightspeedresearch.com or send an email to info@lightspeedresearch.com.
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