Most of Romanians living in cities want to receive material goods for Christmas and are also willing to invest serious money in presents. The average budget for Christmas purchases amounts to over EUR 120 this year, up by 31% compared to last year, according to a survey by iSense Solutions.

The number of Romanians who expect for Christmas spiritual gifts such as health, happiness, or peace has dropped to 11% this year, down from 19% in 2014. Most Romanians (85%) want to receive material presents for Christmas.

The most wanted gift is a mobile phone, with 13% of Romanians adding this item to their Christmas wish list. People would also like to receive cars, clothes, jewelry, or money. However, the number of those who want to get money for Christmas dropped from 18% in 2014 to 5% this year.

Women want jewelry, perfumes, and cosmetics whereas men expect Santa Claus to bring them electronic products.

As for the Christmas budgets, men allocated more money for gifts than women. Their budget reaches EUR 134.

The company iSense Solutions has conducted the study online with 1,006 respondents this year. The data are representative for people over 18 living in urban areas in Romania.

Study: Most Romanian adults want material goods for Christmas, 18% would like Santa to bring them money

Romanians plan to spend a third of their income on Christmas presents

Diana Mesesan, diana@romania-insider.com