£500 beneath the christmas tree in each of the UK's 27 million households

• 545 million presents set to be bought in the UK this Christmas – an average of 20 per household
• Each household set to spend £500 on average
• Southampton is the Christmas capital of the UK, buying the most presents (28), and leaving the tree up the longest
• Privilege Insurance warns people to think carefully about how much families are leaving on display, as one in 10 plans to be away for Christmas
  
  

New research from Privilege Home Insurance has revealed that the average UK household of 2.6 people has 500 pounds’ worth of presents under the tree come Christmas Eve. 

People all over the UK are set to receive an average of 8 presents each, with mums top of the gift list, receiving nearly a third more presents (28 per cent) than dads (nine presents versus seven).

The typical amount people will spend on a gift is £25, with 20 presents per household under the tree on average. This means as a nation, the UK will spend £13.5 billion in total on 545 million presents this year.

Children get the most spent on them (£170), followed by husbands and wives, who spend an average of £107 and £126 on each other respectively.

Regionally, Cardiff is top of the list for expenditure, with residents there having £798 of presents under the tree per household on average. Cardiff is followed by Plymouth, and Southampton. Residents in Norwich buy the least for their friends and family, spending just £306 per household in total.
 

Christian Mendes, head of Privilege home insurance, said: “For many, Christmas is one of the most joyful times of the year and lots of families spend months planning and saving for it.

“Yet, our claims data highlights Christmas as one of the riskiest times of year for break-ins, as there are a number of days in December which see burglaries above the yearly average.

“With one in five (21 per cent) planning to go away over the Christmas break, and one in 10 (eight per cent) planning to be away for Christmas day itself, we’d urge people to think twice about what they do and don’t advertise to burglars ‘window shopping’ for their own Christmas presents, and how much they stand to lose.

“This is made all the more pertinent by the fact that nearly one in three (29 per cent) say their tree will be up for the whole of December.

“Whilst the material value of the goods will be covered by most insurance policies to a point, clearly nothing can replace the memories made on Christmas Day, and people should also check how much they stand to be remunerated by should they fall foul of any Christmas thieves.”

Christmas Grottos – The Most Festive UK Cities, Ranked By Christmas Expenditure

Source: Privilege Home Insurance

Family Present Hierarchy

Source: Privilege Home Insurance

Present stealing prevention tips from Privilege home insurance

1. Fit deadlocks or key-operated security bolts to all external doors
2. Fit a good quality, approved alarm – look out for British Standard BS4737
3. Fit key-operated metal locks to all your accessible windows
4. Never leave keys in a lock, or a ‘secret’ hiding place like under the mat – burglars know where to look!
5. Check the identity of callers before opening your door fully – a chain or a ‘spy hole’ will help
6. Always lock up garden tools and ladders – they can be used to break into your home
7. Make sure the area around your home is well lit
8. Always lock your shed or garage – especially if it has a connecting door to your house
9. Security-mark new valuables with your postcode, and photograph them if possible
10. If you are worried about anything, ask for a visit from your local Crime Prevention Officer

ENDS

For more information, please contact: Fran Langdon at Richmond & Towers: 

fran@rtc.london / 020 3179 0720

Notes to editors:

Research conducted by Opinium amongst 2,002 UK adults between 28 and 30 November 2017.

*Indicative due to low sample size
 

Privilege

Privilege Insurance specialises in car insurance for safe drivers. It also offers home insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line.

Privilege general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Privilege and UK Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc. 
 

Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 0515 or visiting www.privilege.co.uk