Masks are the least desirable Christmas present among Koreans in 2020

Posted on : 2020-12-22 17:26 KST Modified on : 2020-12-22 17:26 KST
Most Koreans prefer cash, regardless of age or sex
Lanterns celebrating Christmas in front of Jogye Temple in Seoul on Dec. 17. (Baek So-ah, staff photographer)
Lanterns celebrating Christmas in front of Jogye Temple in Seoul on Dec. 17. (Baek So-ah, staff photographer)

Masks and other disease prevention items were named as the South Koreans’ least desired Christmas presents.

On Dec. 21, Albacall, a platform where employers conduct contact-free interviews of candidates for part-time work, released the results of a survey of 919 South Koreans regarding their Christmas present preferences for 2020.

Around one in five respondents (21%) picked cash as their most desired Christmas present when only one choice was allowed. This was followed by a tablet PC or other IT device in second place (11.1%), a digital gift voucher in third (10.2%), a luxury item in fourth (8.1%), and a wallet/handbag in fifth (7.7%). Cash received the highest preference regardless of age or sex. Beyond cash, different age groups differed in preferences: respondents in their 20s favored IT (14.4%), those in their 30s chose digital gift vouchers (11.9%), and those in their 50s named health products (10.1%).

When age and sex were taken into account, women in their 40s and 50s showed a strong preference for luxury items (8.3%) and household appliances (6.9%), while men in their 40s and 50s favored health products (8.6%) and clothing (8.2%). Men in their 20s and 30s favored IT devices (15.3%) and gaming devices (7.1%), while women in their 20s and 30s favored IT devices (12.1%) and digital gift vouchers (12.3%).

Masks, hand sanitizer, and other disease prevention items were the least desirable presents (16.4%), followed by flowers (14.8%), gaming equipment (14.7%), health products (9.4%), and handwritten letters (8.6%).

Respondents predicted they would spend an average of 87,000 won (US$78.37) on Christmas presents, along with 84,000 won (US$75.67) on meals and other Christmas-related expenses. The survey was conducted online by Albacall over a five-day period from Dec. 7 to 11. A total of 919 adult men and women participated. The confidence level was 95% with a ±4.5 percent margin of error.

By Park Su-ji, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

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