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Survey reveals men more likely to play scrooge in the office 01 December 2006

Charities could be big winners according to national sentiment
The new “Christmas Cheer Survey” released by Diners Club has revealed that Australians have differing expectations when it comes to giving and receiving presents in the workplace at Christmas – 32% of respondents said they don’t buy Christmas presents for colleagues, for men this rises to 38% compared to 27% of women.

The research has also found that 78% of Australians agree it’s OK to make a charity donation on behalf of someone instead of buying a Christmas present and 93% are in favour of preset limits amongst families.

Based on research conducted amongst 1,000 Australians aged 16 and over, Diners Club’s “Christmas Cheer Survey” also looks at how Australians intend to pay for Christmas presents this year with cash (40%), credit cards (29%)and debit card/Eftpos (26%) people’s primary choice. Redeeming reward points for presents is another alternative that 6% of the population plan to use to fund Christmas presents.

James Atkins, General Manager Marketing, Diners Club Australia, said: “People tend to forget that redeeming points is an option when it comes to ticking off the Christmas present list. Our research also shows Australians are concerned about people less fortunate at Christmas so the donation to charity option could appeal to many. How many of us have reward points sitting there which could go to a good use?

“Diners Club points can also be redeemed for a cash option which can then be diverted to a charity if desired. There are lots of other redemption options which could easily be donated to a charity, for instance gift items like toys.”

Christmas giving – office etiquette
When it comes to workplace Christmas gift giving, the intentions of Australia’s workforce are mixed. On average 32% of Australians don’t buy their work colleagues a gift at Christmas. Less than $20 is the typical amount spent on work mates suggesting the Kris Kringle is alive and well.

Buying Christmas presents for the boss is even less likely with 66% of Australians saying they don’t intend to buy their boss a Christmas present this year. This increases to 73% in WA while in Victoria and Tasmania the figure is 61%.

Only 20% of men said they intend to buy the boss a present this year compared to 33% of women. Forty one percent of workers aged 16-24 intend to buy their boss a present but the feeling of goodwill diminishes amongst older workers; for 25-34 year olds this figure drops to 31%, for 35-44 year olds it’s 23%, for 45-54 year olds it’s 17% and for over 55s it’s 20%.

And 32% of workers on household incomes of less than $30,000 intend to buy their boss a present compared to 21% of those on a household income of more than $80,000.

Expectations between giving and receiving vary:
· 37% of females think they will receive a Christmas present from their boss this year compared to 21% of males
· 67% of workers don’t think they should receive a Christmas present from their boss this year
· 29% of workers in capital cities think they should receive a Christmas present from their boss in 2006 compared to only 15% of workers in non-capital cities
· 29% of working females think they should get a present from the boss compared to 20% of men
· Of the workers who think they will receive a Christmas present from their boss this year, only half think they should receive it (49%)
· Of the workers buying a present for their boss this Christmas, only 49% think they should receive a present in return

Christmas giving – loved ones
Most Australians will dig deep on a present for their loved one at Christmas time. Thirty per cent say they spend between $100-$250 on presents for partners, with 25% spending $50-$100 and 10% spending $250-$500. In WA, more partners remain present-less than elsewhere in the nation with 10% saying they don’t buy their other half a gift.

For many Christmas really is a time for children. Only five per cent of the population don’t spend anything on gifts for children at Christmas. On average, 25% of the population spend between $20-$50 on Christmas presents for kids. At the other end of the spectrum, 4% spend more than $500. Western Australians have deeper wallets with 14% spending between $250-$500 compared to 8% nationally – while in Queensland this figure is 3%.

Payment methods and budgeting
Almost half of Australians think they are good at sticking to their Christmas present budgets with 47% strongly agreeing with the statement. People aged between 16-24 years old are the worst at sticking to their budget when buying Christmas presents.

Pre agreed price limits for family members is favoured to some extent amongst 93% of the country with 56% very keen on the idea. However younger Australians aged 16-24 years old don’t seem to like the idea as much with only one in three (33%) in strong support compared to 60% of Australians aged over 25.

Eighty six per cent of Australians aged 16-24 intend to use cash, debit card or Eftpos as their primary payment method this Christmas. This drops to 69% of 25-34 year olds, 60% of 35-54 year olds. Sixty two per cent of over 55s are also choosing cash, debit card or Eftpos as their primary payment method. Credit card use picks up with age with 36% of 35-54 year olds and 32% of over 55s relying on credit to pay for Christmas gifts.

Mr Atkins says the research provided a few surprises. “Perhaps consumers are waking up to the credit card debt cycle. We are seeing more people intending to use cash and debit card as their primary payment tool this year. Diners Card is an effective way to be disciplined – as the amount needs to be paid off each month – but you earn reward points at the same time.

“Our research raises the workplace dilemma many of us face at this time of the year – do you or don’t you buy presents for colleagues? Perhaps the alternative is to divert money spent on colleagues’ presents, to a charity instead.”

Other findings:
· 35% of married or de facto people don’t spend on colleagues at Christmas compared to 28% of singles
· 41% of those on a household income of $80,000+ will spend between $100-250 on presents for partners compared to 14% of those on household income of less than $30,000
· Females are more likely than males to strongly agree that it’s OK to make a charity donation on behalf of someone else, with 31% and 22% respectively
· People aged 55+ years are significantly more likely to completely disagree with making a charity donation on behalf of someone else (30%)
· 23% of women are very likely to treat themselves when buying Christmas presents for others compared to 18% of men

-Ends-

Media enquiries:

Leila Dean: T: (02) 8225 1658 M: 0404 509 894 leila.dean@citigroup.com

Notes to editors:

The research was conducted by Woolcott Research using the OmniAccess Consumer Survey between 6 – 8 October 2006 amongst a representative and statistically valid sample (confidence interval of +/-3%) of 1,000 Australians living in capital and non-capital cities, aged 16 plus.