Covid-19 and Christmas: Survey shows how Romanians feel about the 2020 winter holidays

More than half of Romanians (56%) say that they feel negative emotions when it comes to the winter holidays in the current pandemic context, a survey conducted by Reveal Marketing Research showed.

The survey measured Romanians' emotions regarding the 2020 winter holidays, looking at four categories of emotions grouped as follows: fear/anger, fatigue/boredom, optimism/joy, calm/relaxation.

More than half of Romanians (56%) say that this year they feel negative emotions when it comes to the winter holidays. Over a third (33%) of respondents say they feel nervous, worried, anxious, or scared when thinking about the holidays in 2020. Another 12% say they feel worried, and among the analyzed segments, retired seniors experience this emotion to the largest extent - 17%. Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) say they currently feel disappointment, sadness, or fatigue. In this area, 12% of respondents say they are disappointed with this year's holidays.

Meanwhile, 44% of Romanians say they feel optimistic, calm, or relaxed. When asked to assess their feelings about the 2020 holidays, 29% of single adults and 24% of families are the most optimistic, compared to the rest of the segments, according to the survey.

Asked how they plan to spend their holidays this year, 85% of Romanians said they would stay home. Only 16% of the respondents said they planned to visit the family who lives in the same city, and only 4% said that they would visit their relatives outside the city. A total of 22% of young professionals and 21% of traditional families are among those who are willing to leave their homes for the holidays. In addition, only 5% of the respondents said they intend to visit friends in the same city during the holidays. Only 1% of the respondents said they were willing to travel outside the country for the holidays.

The survey also showed that gadgets are the gifts respondents would like to receive. More than 40% of Romanians would like to find smartphones, tablets, laptops, or smartwatches under the Christmas tree. Women prefer gadgets to a greater extent than men: 45%, compared to 36% of men. Compared to the rest of the segments, young people are most eager to receive gadgets: single millennials and young professionals have equally selected this option (51% - for each segment).

Over a quarter of respondents (26%) would like to receive clothes, and among the analyzed segments, those who prefer these gifts the most are traditional families (32%). Among single millennials, only 16% said they prefer to receive clothes.

At the same time, 25% of those surveyed would like to receive jewelry, and 21% of all respondents opted for perfume as a Christmas gift.

Health is another gift many respondents wished for. One in four Romanians wishes to be healthy and does not think about material holiday gifts. Retired seniors, followed by traditional families, mostly opted for this option, with 30% and 28%, respectively. On the other hand, only 5% of Romanians would like to receive money as a Christmas gift.