SURVEY: It’s Official – Mom is the Favorite
Spring brings with it multiple opportunities for gift giving, particularly for Mother’s/Father’s Day and high school/college graduations. At Atomik Research, we were curious about the gift-giving habits of adults in the U.S. around these events, so we surveyed 2,000 Americans.
When it comes to parents, it turns out Mom is the favorite (49%). Interestingly, if they were forced to choose a favorite, “neither” came in second at 27%, with Dad grabbing a participation trophy with a whopping 24%. That could mean that more surveyed Americans choose better gifts for Mother’s Day.
Nearly 1 in 4 (23%) respondents admitted to feeling their mother’s contributions at home were overvalued, yet just less than half (45%) say the opposite (undervalued). Gifts are great, but moms sometimes get overwhelmed with how busy their lives get, so maybe try to give a gift of your time and help her with chores so she can have some time for herself to relax and recharge.
Forgotten Fathers
Dads are almost forgotten in the process of celebrating them on Father’s Day. The survey also found that 1 in 5 (20%) adults would grade themselves with a “D” or “F” when it comes to the quality of gifts they’ve given to their dad for Father’s Day. So, it also makes sense that more than a third (34%) reported they rarely or never get an elated emotion from their dad when he opens his Father’s Day gift. Data shows that a tie is the most purchased gift, so maybe this Father's Day is a good time to expand your gift ideas for Dad.
The Value of a Degree
This special upcoming season also touches upon giving graduation gifts. More people believe that when someone graduates from college, they should receive a much more valuable gift (an average of $766 for a gift) than when finishing high school (on average, $593 is the maximum amount they would give someone as a high school graduation gift). In other words, the higher the degree, the bigger the graduation gift. Besides cash, the most popular gifts are greeting cards, gift cards and electronics.
You’ve still got a month to find a better gift for Dad – and if you’re interested in having your own data to back up your story, let’s chat.
Methodology: Atomik Research conducted an online survey of 2,004 adults throughout the United States. The margin of error is +/- 2 percentage points with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between April 28 and May 1, 2023. Atomik Research is an independent research agency.
