Independent financial comparison website, Know Your Money, recently surveyed 2,000 people in the UK to explore the true cost of Christmas.
From the cost of Christmas essentials such as presents and cards, to the environmental impact of Christmas, The True Cost of a Great British Christmas explores how public spending and attitudes have changed over time.
Touching on the environmental impact of Christmas, the report also explores whether people are becoming more eco-friendly when it comes to Christmas practices. The survey revealed that:
- People living in London are the most likely to consider the environmental impact of their Christmas – with 69.5% of Londoners either always considering the environmental impact at Christmas time, or planning on making a conscious effort to reduce their environmental impact this Christmas (2019)
- People living in the East Midlands are the least likely to care about the impact their Christmas has on the environment – with 42.1% saying that they don’t worry at all
The survey revealed also revealed that:
- 23.5% of Brits always consider the environmental impact at Christmas time
- 34.1% of Brits don’t worry at all
- 12.2% of Brits do worry, but not enough to make any changes
- 30.3% of Brits do plan to make a conscious effort to reduce their impact on the environment this Christmas (2019)
Interestingly, younger generations are the most likely age group to consider the environmental impact at Christmas time. In fact, 74% of 18-24 year olds either always consider the environment at Christmas, or plan to make a conscious effort to reduce their impact on the environment this Christmas (2019).
In contrast, older generations (55+) generally don’t care about the impact their Christmas is having on the environment. 16% of those aged 55+ always consider the environmental impact at Christmas time, while more than half (57.6%) of them either don’t care at all or aren’t willing to make any changes.
Despite all of this, what are Brits actually doing to help?
-
More than half of people (53%) save wrapping paper and/or bags and boxes to use next year
-
In fact, older generations (55-64 & 65+) are more likely to save wrapping paper and/or bags and boxes to use next year
-
-
45.3% of people use LED lights
-
30.4% of people buy Christmas food from local suppliers rather than supermarkets
-
22.7% of people buy gifts from second-hand shops e.g Charity shops, vintage clothing retailers
-
21.4% of people decorate with paper/card instead of plastic
-
In fact, younger generations (18-24) are more likely to decorate with paper/card instead of plastic
-
-
16.9% of people have a fully/partly vegetarian or vegan meal
-
Millennials (18-24 & 25-34) are much more likely to have a vegetarian/vegan meal for Christmas
-
