More Americans willing to buy Christmas trees this year despite rising inflation: poll
A recent survey found that while more than half of Americans are cutting down on spending this holiday season amid concerns about inflation, a higher percentage are determined to buy a real Christmas tree than last year.
Last week, the consumer resource website trees.com released a survey on Americans' plans for Christmas trees this holiday season amid fears about inflation.
Trees.com commissioned the survey website Pollfish to conduct the study on Nov. 9, 2022, of over 1,250 participants, with individuals answering a series of pre-screening questions beforehand to determine whether they celebrate Christmas. All respondents had to pass quality checks to ensure the poll's accuracy.
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The survey found that 7% more Americans plan to buy real Christmas trees this year than in 2021. More than half (53%) of respondents said they plan to have an artificial Christmas tree, while 8% do not expect to buy a tree at all this year.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (62%) said having a Christmas tree is "very" important to them, while 29% said having a Christmas tree is "somewhat important" to them. Only 7% of respondents said having a Christmas tree is "not very important" to them, while less than 2% said it was "not at all important" to them.
About half of respondents (56%) said they plan to cut down on their holiday spending costs due to inflation, and nearly three in four intend to spend $100 less than last year.
Seventy-two percent of respondents said they plan to budget their gifts to reduce spending, 13% will only give handmade gifts this year, and 9% plan not to give any gifts at all.
"Twenty-five percent of respondents say they spent $200 or less on Christmas last year, while 34% plan to keep their spending under $200 this year, a nearly 10-point increase," the survey report states.
The survey noted that many Americans don't plan to reduce spending on Christmas trees due to a lack of difference between reported spending on real trees last year and how much respondents are willing to spend this year.
About one in five respondents (9.8%) are willing to pay up to $200 or more for a tree, while nearly a third (32.7%) said they plan to budget between $50 to $100, and almost a quarter (24.6%) said they plan to spend between $100 to $150.
According to a GoBankingRates report from last December, the average cost of a tree across retailers was around $100.
Zack DeAngelis, the founder of Tree Journey, said that paying the increased price on Christmas trees is worth it but not always necessary.
"For those looking to get a real Christmas tree from a farm, I recommend asking if there's any discount for cutting or wrapping the tree yourself," DeAngelis said in a statement.
"The farm will most likely have certain trees that haven't grown well and are less desirable. These can cost even less, which can help you save more if you're in a pinch."
Many respondents who indicated they are willing to buy a real Christmas tree also remained consistent on the size of the tree. Last year, the largest share of respondents purchased a 6-to-7-foot tree and plan to do so this year.
According to an August 2022 Real Christmas Tree Board survey, 71% of Christmas tree growers who supply over two-thirds of the real Christmas trees in the United States reported a likely wholesale price increase of 5% to 15% compared to last year.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com.
