We're starting holiday shopping earlier in the NW

According to the latest 2022 PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, many Pacific Northwesterners are starting their holiday shopping earlier than ever before. Yet, the majority of residents believe that the soonest time to start decorating for the holidays – whether at home or in stores – is after Thanksgiving. Are you starting your holiday shopping earlier than before? When is it most appropriate to start decorating for the holidays?

According to our survey of Seattle and Portland residents, about a quarter of respondents 28% say they’re shopping for the holidays earlier now, compared to five years ago. About half (49%) report that their holiday shopping starts around the same time as it has in the past.

In Seattle, women are almost twice as likely as men to say they’re ramping up their holiday shopping earlier than they used to, with 36% of female shoppers getting a head start on their wish lists, compared to just 19% of men who say the same. Similarly in Portland, 31% of women are embracing an earlier start to their seasonal shopping, while only 22% of men in Portland do the same.
 
Though it seems that retailers embrace the holidays earlier and earlier each year, the PEMCO poll found that more than half of Northwest residents (54%) believe that the soonest stores should start decorating for the holidays is after Thanksgiving. However, women once again, are more eager to get into the holiday spirit with nearly one in three in Seattle (34%) saying it’s okay for stores to start decorating for the winter holidays right after Halloween. Meanwhile, 60% of men in Seattle think stores should wait until after Thanksgiving to start pulling out the holiday decor.

That lines up with how the majority of Northwest residents prefer to spread holiday cheer, as well. About half of all respondents (49%) claim that they start celebrating the holidays right after Thanksgiving, and almost one in three respondents (30%) say they don’t start celebrating until mid-December.

When it comes to giving gifts during the holidays, respondents are more likely to give material items than gifts that can be experienced, though the majority of respondents agree that it does depend on the recipient. In both Seattle and Portland, men are more likely than females to say they’d rather give material gifts than a gift that can be experienced.

Yet, when asked which of the two they would rather receive as a gift, responses are split, with about a quarter who say they enjoy receiving material gifts and another quarter preferring experiences. About half say they don’t have a preference.

Interestingly, in Seattle, 27% prefer to receive experiences for gifts, but only 13% prefer to give gifts that are experiences. In Portland, 23% prefer to receive experiential gifts, while only 9% prefer to give them. In both Seattle and Portland, men are more likely than females to say they’d prefer to receive material items. While not true in Seattle, women in Portland are more likely than males to say they’d rather receive gifts that are experiences. 

Here are the poll results in detail: 

About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll

PEMCO Mutual Insurance commissioned this independent survey, conducted by FBK Research of Seattle, that asked Washington and Oregon residents questions about driving habits and attitudes toward current Northwest issues. The sample size, 420 respondents in the Seattle Metro (King, Snohomish, Pierce Counties) region and 418 respondents in the Portland Metro (Multnomah, Marion, Clackamas, Washington Counties) region yields an accuracy of +/- 5.0% respectively at the 95% confidence level. In other words, if this study were conducted 100 times, in 95 instances the data will not vary by more than the associated error range.

Supplemental interviews were conducted with people living in the Seattle metro area, including King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, and those in the Portland metro area, including Clackamas, Marion, Multnomah and Washington counties. The sample size, 578 respondents in the Seattle area and 509 in the Portland area, yields an accuracy of +/- 4.2% and +/- 4.4% respectively at the 95% confidence level.