Men spend almost 40% more than women on Christmas gifts for their other half

According to new research by eBay, men spend almost 40% more than women on Christmas gifts for their other half.

On average women will buy 15 presents when men will only buy 11 presents.

While women tend to buy more gifts, the findings showed that men seem to focus their efforts on their other half, spending almost 40% more on a spouse or partner, on average, compared to women (€167 men v €120 women).

It also found that parents in Ireland will spend an average of €307 on their children this Christmas.

The findings suggest that parents in the North of Ireland spend the most on their children (€457), while parents in the West tend to spend the least (€234). In Dublin, parents spend an average of €305 on their kids.

Unsurprisingly, the research undertaken by the global online marketplace found that socks and underwear are considered the worst gift to receive at Christmas.

Men, in particular, appear averse to receiving underwear, with one in five agreeing it was their least favourite present.

Gadgets, on the other hand, were found to be the most popular present, especially by men.

In November, eBay.ie recorded a Christmas-related search every minute. The top ten searches last month may point to the types of gift people will receive (or wish for) this year:

Nintendo Switch
AirPods
iPhone 7
iPhone 8
iPhone X
iPhone 11
PlayStation 4
Sneakers
Laptop
Smartwatch

27% of all respondents said that they would consider buying second-hand items as gifts this Christmas. Meanwhile, 33% agree that it is important to buy eco-friendly gifts for their loved ones.

More than half (53%) of people surveyed felt strongly about buying from Irish companies when shopping online, while 42% said that they actively seek out Irish businesses when searching for gifts online.