Research Findings Show Although Still Manageable, Holiday Stress Among Americans is Slightly up from 2008
Decipher and Survey Sampling International, in Partnership with KW Strategems, Revealed Interesting Facts about Stress and the Holiday Season as Well as Current Gift Trends
FRESNO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– For the second year in a row, market research firms KW Strategems and Decipher, conducted a survey in coordination with sampling solutions provider, Survey Sampling International (SSI), that unlocked interesting data on how Americans handle holiday stress. The survey also uncovered what gifts stand out as the most preferable to give and receive, which may help shoppers in the weeks ahead.
Within the survey, respondents were asked to rate their stress levels during the holiday season—defined as the end of November through the first part of January—on a scale from zero to 10 across five categories: health, fitness, weight, personal relationships and finances. In summary, the study indicated:
To balance out the findings on what causes stress for Americans during the holidays, the study also asked respondents what strategies they’ll use to help combat stress. Slightly more than one-half of Americans (58 percent) said they’ll spend less money to reduce stress this season. Slightly less than one-half of Americans (45 percent) plan to stick to a budget.
“It’s been a challenging year for America in general,” said Sigal Kremer, co-founder of KW Strategems. “But Americans are resilient and have developed ways to cope. This year, for many, the strategy for getting through the holiday season is about spending less and sticking to a holiday budget.”
With giving and receiving, 43 percent of Americans are more likely to give a tangible gift, but 45 percent said they would prefer to receive cash in order to have a choice for what they will receive this season. What’s more, cash remains the preferred choice for men, as they’re more likely than women to both give and receive it.
Gift cards are crowd pleasers, with as many wanting to give them as to receive them (35 percent prefer to give, 34 percent prefer to receive). Americans are practical about what type of gift cards they prefer, as bank cards, mass merchandise and grocery gift cards lead the variety of cards preferred.
The complete survey report is available and can be downloaded free of charge at any of the sponsoring companies’ Web sites:
www.decipherinc.com
www.kwstrategems.com
www.surveysampling.com
About Decipher
Founded in 2000, Decipher is a marketing research services provider specializing in online survey programming, data collection, data processing/reporting, and custom technology development. Utilizing Web-based applications, Decipher integrates state-of-the-art technology with traditional research techniques. In an industry that’s $8.2 billion and growing, Decipher’s online survey tools and data reporting suite provide users with the unique ability to automate post field production, and significantly increase the accuracy and quality of research reporting for their businesses.
About KW Strategems
KW Strategems is a full-service marketing research agency that provides customized and targeted qualitative and quantitative research including moderating and a broad spectrum of quantitative techniques ranging from product ideation/conception to in market performance. KW Strategems is owned by Sigal Kremer and Melinda Wooten.
About Survey Sampling International
Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI offers access to more than 6 million consumer and business-to-business research respondents in 54 countries via Internet, telephone, and mobile. Additional client services include custom profiling, survey programming and hosting, data processing, sampling consulting, and survey optimization.
SSI serves more than 1,800 clients, including nearly three-quarters of the top researchers, worldwide. Founded in 1977, SSI has an international staff of 400 people representing 50 countries and 36 languages. The company is based in Shelton, CT with additional offices in London, Paris, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Madrid, Beijing, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, and La Quinta, CA. Additional SSI representatives are in Guangzhou and Kuala Lumpur.
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