Survey: 44 percent of Slovaks Forced to Save Significantly before Christmas

Bratislava, 7 December (TASR) - A total of 72 percent of Slovaks admit that their financial situation will influence this year's Christmas presents, according to a survey conducted by Kariera.sk on a sample of 1,358 respondents in November. As many as 44 percent of the respondents will have to save significantly and cut their spending before Christmas. An additional 28 percent feel under pressure, but will be able to buy gifts. Only 25 percent of Slovaks can handle Christmas without major restrictions. When compared to last year, more than 47 percent of the respondents are comparing prices more and seeking more advantageous offers. Twelve percent are leaving Christmas purchases to the last minute, and the same percentage started Christmas shopping earlier than usual. Less than a third of the respondents haven't changed their pre-Christmas habits at all, shopping in the same way as in previous years. Some 34 percent plan to spend between €100-250 on gifts, while 27 percent don't want to exceed the level of €100. About a quarter of Slovaks intend to spend between €250-500, and only 10 percent are planning a higher budget of over €500. Just over 4 percent of respondents want to spend more than €1,000 on Christmas gifts. As many as 91 percent of the respondents would never borrow money for gifts and would rather adapt Christmas to their budget. Meanwhile, 5 percent would consider taking out a loan in exceptional cases, such as for a bigger family gift. Only 2 percent have already borrowed money or bought gifts on instalments. When choosing gifts, 61 percent of the respondents prefer practical gifts such as clothing, books or household items. One in five Slovaks chooses symbolic small things that have more of an emotional value. Less than 12 percent want to give experiences, while 7 percent prefer time spent together to gifts. Finally, 2 percent mentioned hand-made or personalised gifts. Less than 15 percent of the respondents plan to celebrate Christmas without any restrictions, even at the cost of higher spending, while 5 percent don't plan to celebrate the holiday at all. ko/df/am