How many sporadic presents do you buy every year?
The study initially asked respondents to specify how many ‘sporadic’ presents they buy, on average, for their children per year; that is, presents that aren’t for a specific special occasion such as Birthdays or Christmas.
When taking all answers into account, the average number of sporadic presents bought by mums per year was eight whilst Dads bought almost double that amount with an average of 15 sporadic gifts per year.
Findings also revealed that the majority of UK dads admit to purchasing gifts in order to ‘make up’ for time they don’t spend with their children.
...we just recommend that they don’t go overboard on price. Gifts here and then can really add up, so we’d recommend keeping one eye on the finances before buying any ‘bribe’ presents!
The study of parents across the UK was conducted in a bid to discover more about the parenting habits of Britons, looking specifically at the differences between spending habits of mums and dads when it comes to presents for their children.
www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk polled 1,085 mums and 1,056 dads across the UK, all aged over 18 with at least one child aged between one and five. All respondents were asked questions related to their spending habits as parents, particularly when it comes to gifts.
Mark Pearson, Chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “It was really interesting to find out that dads are more likely to spoil their children with gifts than mums, and clearly the males of the species are more of a soft touch! However, when you look at the main reason being to ‘make up for time’ not spent with their children, it’s clear that dads across the UK are feeling guilty for time not necessarily spent at home.”
The parents taking part were further asked to explain the main reasons behind why they tended to buy sporadic gifts for their children. According to the results, the top three reasons for mums buying their children gifts were; to reward good behaviour, to bribe/ encourage good future behaviour, and as a treat.
In contrast, the top three reasons for dads purchasing gifts for their children, according to the results, were; to make up for time not spent with children, as a treat, and to bribe/ encourage good future behaviour.
When asked whether or not they felt like they purchased ‘too many’ presents for their children, over half (53 per cent) of the mums taking part said yes. In contrast, just a quarter of dads felt the same.
Mark continued: “Whatever the reasons may be, it’s clear from our results that both mums and dads across the UK like to treat their kids to gifts, and there is nothing wrong with spoiling your little ones. Whatever parents buy, we just recommend that they don’t go overboard on price. Gifts here and then can really add up, so we’d recommend keeping one eye on the finances before buying any ‘bribe’ presents!”
FemaleFirst @FemaleFirst_UK
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