Survey finds half of Americans will be giving fewer holiday gifts

The year-end holiday season is going to look rather different for many Americans, according to this year”™s edition of the annual Coinstar Holiday Survey.

In a poll of 2,009 adults, 40% of respondents said they won’t travel to visit relatives nor attend or host holiday gatherings this year, with 31% saying they would skip the holidays completely if that was an option.

Half of the respondents said they will be giving fewer gifts for the holiday, with nearly one-third citing job loss or decreased work and nearly one-quarter blaming their fears on the state of the economy as the reason for buying fewer gifts.

Still, not everyone is ready to jettison the holiday spirit. Nearly one-third of respondents said they plan to make the best of the holidays season despite this year’s tumult, while nearly half said they”™d consider a “Christmas in July 2021” option for a postponed in-person holiday gathering.

As for the holiday traditions, this year will offer some uniquely 2020 changes: Covid-19 inspired gifts are being considered, including hand sanitizers (40%), face masks (38%) and disinfectant wipes (23%) are among the most popular items. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they would likely donate to charity in lieu of giving a gift to a friend or colleague.

And even Zoom is getting into the holidays, with 21% of respondents planning to attend virtual church service, 19% planning a virtual gift exchange among friends or family, and 12% looking forward to competing in a Zoom-attended tacky holiday sweater contest.

Coinstar of Bellevue, Washington, commissioned Atomik Research to run the online survey of adults in the U.S. who typically give gifts to others in observance of a winter holiday. The margin of error fell within plus or minus 2 percentage points. The survey took place between Sept. 10 and 13.  Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency.