A third of Irish people will celebrate Christmas as normal, survey finds

A third of people will celebrate Christmas 2020 as normal no matter what restrictions are in place over the holiday period while more than half believe the festive season will not be as much fun as Christmases past, a new survey suggests.

According to the research from price comparison website bonkers,ie, over 40 per cent of people plan to spend less on presents this year because of the impact Covid-19 has had on their plans.

Meanwhile just over a third say the pandemic has had a moderate to severe impact on their personal finances with a similar number saying it has had no impact at all.

The element of the research, carried out by Red C, which is likely set the alarm bells ringing most loudly for Nphet is the news that 33 per cent of people say they are planning to have the same Christmas they always have no matter what restrictions may be in place at the time.

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The research, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of just over 1,000 adults found that 56 per cent of people believe Christmas this year will not be as enjoyable as it was in previous years while 43 per cent they will be spending less on gifts this year as a direct result of the pandemic.

“It’s clear that a big percentage of the population remains largely unimpacted financially by Covid, which is encouraging, although one would wonder if this can hold up the longer the pandemic goes on,” said bonker.ie spokesman. “However there is a significant minority of people who are clearly struggling and the return to level 5 lockdown in mid-October is unlikely to have helped.£

He said the number of people “who plan to spend Christmas as normal this year, regardless of restrictions, will no doubt worry NPHET.”

Meanwhile a separate survey suggests that despite Covid-19, more than 70 per cent of Irish people are still looking forward to Christmas.

The research from content marketing agency Zahra surveyed more than 4,800 people to assess Irish people’s sentiment towards the festive season.

While 85 per cent of people are concerned Christmas get-togethers will be limited most are still making plans spend Christmas at home with their immediate family although 20 per cent are holding off until they know what December’s restrictions entail.

Backing local is a key consideration for many Irish consumers with 64 per cent of Irish people saying they plan to support local businesses this Christmas while 53 per cent said they are willing to spend more on locally sourced, artisan products.

Despite the many unprecedented hurdles faced by people in Ireland in 2020, the consensus is that the future is bright with 71 per cent saying they were looking forward to the months ahead.