Oliver Hu

A survey by a dating company has found that one fifth of respondents have no plans to give Christmas presents to their partners.

HK Romance Dating asked 309 men and 224 women in Hong Kong between mid-November and early this month about their plans for Christmas, and about 80 percent of respondents said they would not spend more than HK$3,000.

However, more than 60 percent of men and 57 percent of women expected to spend more than last Christmas.

Around 18 percent of men and 11 percent of women expect their spending to increase by 20 percent compared to last year.

The majority of the respondents felt that spending was likely to increase as they could not travel and preferred to use the consumption voucher.

People did not have much confidence in the city's economic prospects, as 19 percent of men rated themselves three out of 10 on whether they felt optimistic, 10 being the most optimistic.

By contrast, 18 percent of women rated four.

Company founder Anita Cheung Wai-ping said people are still spending less this year. Most Hongkongers spent HK$4,000 to HK$5,000 for Christmas before the pandemic hit.

"Although it looks like people's desire to spend is growing, they still remain cautious in spending due to the economic downturn amid the pandemic," she said.

But 15 percent of the men and 29 percent of women, or 20 percent in all said that they have no plan to buy Christmas gifts for their loved ones.

The most popular gift is electronics for men and jewelry for women, while 29 percent said their favorite way to celebrate Christmas was to go out for a big meal.

After three years of tedious pandemic controls, people are more inclined to spend and have fun.

"The number of people willing to go out for Christmas dinner has increased by around 10 percent this year," she said.

For Christmas date, the company suggests that people should plan well and make dinner reservations.

Another company founder, Yubi Wong Ka-yu, said thoughtfulness is the key to gift.

"The value of a gift is not about being expensive. Couples can buy gifts that are practical or of commemorative value, but they must know each other's preferences beforehand," Wong said.

The survey found that men's most hated Christmas gift is flowers and NFT products, while women do not like idol peripherals and figurines.

Air of festivity as couples look to up Xmas spending