More than half of men would prefer to receive cash this Christmas

More than half of men would much prefer to receive cash this Christmas over a present, while women are more likely to prefer receiving presents, a survey has found.

Some 56% of men would rather receive money for Christmas than unwrap a traditional Christmas gift, Standard Life found.

But less than half (45%) of women surveyed would prefer to receive money over presents.

The research also found some differences among age groups, with nearly two-thirds (62%) of 18 to 34-year-olds saying they would prefer to receive cash at Christmas.

Meanwhile, 61% of over-55s would rather receive a traditional Christmas present. Nearly a fifth (18%) of people aged 55 and over thought that giving money shows a lack of thought or effort – although some also said they would feel relieved at not having to shop online or visit stores for a gift.

Jamie Jenkins, a personal finance expert at Standard Life, said: “While some people might see gifting money as lacking thought, it’s actually what lots of us really want.”

People living in London and Wales would be particularly happy to receive cash instead of gifts at Christmas, the research found, while those living in Scotland were the most likely to prefer a gift.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of people surveyed in London said they would prefer to receive cash, as did 55% of people surveyed in Wales, compared with 41% of people in Scotland.

Less than half (45%) of people surveyed in Northern Ireland said they would prefer to receive money over gifts this Christmas.

Across the survey, people generally found it more acceptable to receive money from parents, however they would be less impressed if friends tried to give them cash instead for Christmas.

Among those who would prefer to receive money this Christmas, 43% said they would put it towards something that they particularly want, and 16% would add it to their savings. Under-35s would be the most likely to put any cash they receive for Christmas into savings, with 27% of people surveyed in this age group planning to do so.

Some 2,000 people were surveyed in November for this research.

Here are the percentages of people surveyed across the UK who would prefer cash over a gift this Christmas, according to the research from Standard Life:

:: London, 65%

:: Wales, 55%

:: North East, 54%

:: East Midlands, 53%

:: South East, 52%

:: North West, 51%

:: Yorkshire and the Humber, 48%

:: East Anglia, 47%

:: Northern Ireland, 45%

:: West Midlands, 44%

:: South West, 42%

:: Scotland, 41%