Just over half of the British public are cutting back on the number of presents they are buying for friends and family this Christmas, a poll suggests.
Rising prices for household goods have influenced 51% of Britons to buy fewer gifts this year, the Savanta polling revealed.
The representative poll of 2,138 adults, conducted online between December 12 and 15, also found that over a third of the public, 37%, are set to host fewer guests or even no guests on Christmas day.
Some 45%, meanwhile, plan to stay home, rather than visit family or friends in order to save money.
The Liberal Democrats, which commissioned the polling, said it highlights a “cost-of-giving crisis” influenced by the continued rise in prices of household goods.
Daisy Cooper, Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson, said: “It’s depressing to think that this time of Christmas cheer will be dampened for huge numbers of Brits. This Government is allowing a cost-of-giving crisis to grip our country and refusing to take action to fix it.
“From buying fewer presents for loved ones, to sadly being forced to leave family and friends isolated for Christmas, the squeeze on households will have devastating effects everywhere – especially for those left alone on Christmas Day.
“The Prime Minister must take urgent action and take up our proposals to put £270 back in people’s pockets by cutting energy bills and slashing VAT for high street hospitality.”
Elsewhere, the polling also found 45% of Brits are planning to curtail visits to the pub or restaurants this Christmas season, while 55% are shopping at cheaper supermarkets to save cash.
Labour has, meanwhile, claimed that people are now on average earning £500 more per year since it won last year’s general election, citing the latest pay statistics.
The party compared Office for National Statistics data for the median weekly earnings from June 2024, the last full month of the Conservative government, with October 2025.
On these terms, annual pay has risen from £35,965 in June 2024, to £38,404 this October, with Labour claiming that workers were on average £516 better off when inflation is taken into account.
Labour is currently seeking to reclaim the narrative about its record in Government.
Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney is said to have met with political staff in recent days, insisting that 2026 will be a “year of proof” for Labour, according to The Times newspaper.
Commenting on the latest pay data, James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “Putting more money in working people’s pockets is the priority for this Labour Government.
“Fixing our economy after 14 years of Conservative chaos was always going to take time, but thanks to the choices we made at the budget, we’re bringing inflation down and, this week, we saw the sixth interest rate cut since the election, the fastest pace of cuts to rates in 17 years.
“We know there’s more to do. Next year our Government is going to be focused on delivering the fairer future we promised the British people.”
