Poles plan to scale back on Christmas spending this year - report

Poles will be spending less on holiday gifts this year than in 2019 as Covid-19 dampens the Christmas spirit, a new study has shown.

According to 'The moods and plans of Polish consumers in the era of coronavirus' report by experts from the Consumer Federation at the Warsaw School of Economics, the financial situation of over half of Poles (52 percent) has deteriorated due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For close to half of Poles (45 percent), it has remained unchanged, while only 3 percent have experienced an improvement in finances.

The weakening financial situation has resulted in a decrease in Christmas spending, with the greatest cut being seen in travel expenses.

Last year Poles, on average, spent PLN 610 (EUR 137.4) on Christmas preparations, but this year that amount has dropped to PLN 522 (EUR 117.6).

For presents Poles will spend an average of PLN 547 (EUR 123.1), compared to PLN 583 (EUR 131.2) a year ago, while travel expenses will be slashed from the PLN 200 (EUR 45) seen last year to PLN 100 (EUR 22.5.)

The study was carried out on a nationwide sample of 1,000 persons on November 26, 2020 - December 1, 2020, using the Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) method on the Syno Poland research platform.