Americans Rate Charity Gifts a Priority This Holiday Season

Amid widespread concerns about the economy, Americans are planning to cut their holiday spending but not their charitable giving, according to a new study. In fact, some Americans may actually increase their year-end giving, as they make donations on behalf of friends and family members in lieu of purchasing presents.

Seventy-one percent of Americans are trimming back on their holiday spending, according to a study conducted for World Vision by the polling company Harris Interactive.

But nearly half (49 percent) said they are are more likely to give a “charitable gift,” such as a child sponsorship, a tent, or a cow to help someone in need as a holiday present.

Eight-four percent of people in the study said they would prefer to receive a gift that would benefit someone else rather than a traditional present, such as clothing or electronics.

The study showed that Americans enjoy giving and receiving presents, but do not necessarily need or care deeply about the gifts they receive.

Nearly 60 percent of people in the survey, which was conducted in late October, said they wanted a gift for the holidays. But only one-third said they needed something, and more than half could not remember what they had received the previous year.