The world is currently a fraught place, with conflict and social unrest the name of the day.

It’s this socio-economic environment that has Canadians thinking about giving meaning rather than materials over the holiday season, according to Plan International.

The charity and advocacy group conducted a survey of 1,508 Canadians from Nov. 9 to 13, and found that more than half of them are planning to reduce the amount of money they will spend on gifts this holiday season. This mirrors many other reports out this fall that indicate Canadians are planning to keep a closer watch on their wallets when gift-giving. 

The Plan survey found that nearly 60% of Canadians said they will reduce their holiday budgets. It also showed that 70% of respondents are less likely to ask for material items as gifts and 40% said they are less likely to purchase material gifts for others. Almost half (45%) said it is “more important to give or receive gifts that have meaning than to focus on material items.”

It’s a challenging environment for all marketers, notes Plan International Canada director of digital marketing Meredith Grove. 

“This year is even more challenging for advertisers due to heavy competition for fewer dollars. We are also dealing with changes in the industry that limit how we track and target audiences,” Plan International Canada director of digital marketing Meredith Grove says to MiC. “Marketers know that this holiday season we will all likely see higher costs per acquisition.”

In its press release supporting the survey, Plan listed themed bundles of charitable donations that could serve as non-material gifts.

Other results from Plan’s survey included Canadians’ priorities for the holidays. Around 40% said they cared about helping people and communities in need, as well as supporting charities (22%). For this group, humanitarian aid, domestic violence, hunger and homelessness are among their priorities. More than 40% also said they recognized the growing importance of understanding social issues at the local and global level.

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