Norwegians will spend over 6,200 each on Christmas gifts

Southerners are the ones in Norway who intend to spend both most and less on Christmas gifts. How much people will spend varies greatly.

On average, Norwegians over the age of 18 have planned to spend NOK 6,246 on Christmas gifts this year, according to a recent survey Norstat has done for Storebrand, reproduced in Fædrelandsvennen. Around 15 per cent will spend more than NOK 10,000.

“Spending close to NOK 9,000 on Christmas gifts is a lot and can also prevent more people from moving the wheels in the everyday economy,” Heidi Skaaret, Executive Vice President of Retail in Storebrand, told the newspaper.

The fear is that many feel the buying pressure and spends more money than they actualy have.

Money use increases with age. In the age group of 18 to 29 years the average is NOK 3,963, while in the age group over 67 they intend to spend the most, with NOK 8,884 on average each.

Perhaps most surprising is the geographical inequalities, which the residents of Aust-Agder will spend the least, with 4,865 each, while the neighbors in Vest-Agder plan to spend as much as 8,778 kroner – mostly in Norway.

The question is whether one waste or are generous when you spend a lot, whether one is miserly or reasonable by using less.

– The differences are also so large that it must reflect more than finances. Probably different attitudes are behind it, says Skaaret.

The other two bottom counties in use are Oslo and Hordaland, with 5,130 and 5,186 respectively in planned Christmas gift consumption each, on average, while residents in Rogaland and Troms are the ones who spend at the consumption peak with the Westerners, where they intend to cut out with NOK 7,831 and NOK 7,814. each.