Irish people plan to prioritise family and friends over work colleagues this Christmas, with at least two-thirds intending to meet family from outside the home come December 25.

That’s according to a report from Core, which says that while there are increased levels of public concern around Covid-19, people have no intention of ‘cancelling Christmas’, with two-thirds saying they will meet with family outside the household this Christmas.

However, one in two say they will not meet friends and 70% say they will not meet work colleagues.

The marketing communications company’s research looks at the impact of Covid-19 on Christmas, focusing on public and consumer sentiment, shopping plans and where and how much people will spend.

It’s based on fieldwork conducted as Budget 2021 was being announced and the government was finalising a return to tighter restrictions. The results are drawn from the views of 1,000 participants.

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When it comes to young adults, the cohort most likely to socialise at Christmas, two-thirds said they would attend less or no indoor social events this year, and only 15% said they would like to have people over to their homes. 

The research shows that the average Christmas budget per person will work out around €1,350. Households with teenagers  have budgeted 40% more than average, at €1,900, while under 40s with no children expect to spend c.€1,100.

The view from Core is that online retail will have a further boost from the latest six-week lockdown, with a majority of the respondents in the Core survey planning to shop less in-store or not at all when shops reopen.

Core estimates that 45% of Xmas purchases will be made in physical stores, 27% will be a mixture of online and offline, and 28% will be e-commerce purchases.

Core marketing director Finian Murphy commented: “As Covid cases declined in June, 75% of people were optimistic that we could overcome the outbreak, 77% approved of the government’s handling and 76% approved of how other people were behaving.

"Four months later, only 45% approve of the government and 36% of people approve of how other people are behaving. This translates to a decline of optimism from 75% of the public to 42%.

“While many household finances have been impacted significantly by job losses, there are also many households who have saved in 2020 and across the board, there is a strong intention to shop for gifts and treats this year.

"Key to all of this will be the further acceleration of e-commerce and supporting the local economy. It will be essential to signpost people to simple-to-use digital experiences where customers can safely click and collect or receive deliveries to the door. For brands, it is time for empathy over excess.”

The full report can be downloaded here.

Pic: RollineNews.ie