A recent survey has asked people about the "bad gifts" they’ve given and received during the holidays.
Perspectus Global, an independent market research firm, on behalf of on ContextLogic Inc, conducted a survey among 6,143 consumers aged 18 and older from the US, UK, Spain and Germany in October 2022.
The survey identified ten of the "worst gift ideas":
Defective items bought at discount (28%)
Fruitcake (23%)
Weight loss items (21%)
Political gifts (20%)
Out-of-style clothing (16%)
Cheap chocolates (13%)
Christmas ties (13%)
Weight scale (12%)
Knockoff luxury items (10%)
Gym membership (10%)
"While most [people] see themselves as experts in receiving bad gifts, roughly 75% said they believe they have never given an unsatisfactory gift," the survey stated.
According to the survey, 72% of US respondents said they’ve felt disappointed or confused by a "bad" holiday gift and nearly 80% of all American respondents said they think they’re good at faking enthusiasm when they open up a "bad" present.
Here are some additional key figures:
In the US, 20% of people regift a bad gift rather than return it;
In Spain, 45% of people have hated a present so much they were left speechless;
In Germany, 35% of parents said their kids have been ungrateful about a gift;
In the UK, 23% of bad gifts come from a person’s in-laws;
Globally, more than one-third of recipients feel obligated to wear or display a bad gift or post it on social media so that the gift giver doesn’t feel bad.
Tarun Jain, chief product & customer officer at Wish, reminded that "giving and receiving gifts should be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved."