Men reported spending much more in 2004 than women on December holiday (Christmas and Hanukah) gifts in a recent survey of the wealthiest 10% of U.S. households. The differences in 2005 gift expenditures will be about the same or a little greater, as men plan to reduce their spending less than women in 2005.

Men reported spending an average of $1,212 on holiday gifts for their spouse, more than double the average $568 spent by women on their spouse. Spending by men (and women) for holiday gifts was $948 ($604) for children under 18, $1,896 ($1,044) for children 18 and over, $734 ($549) for other relatives, and $523 ($395) for friends.

Average gift expenditures for a spouse were highest among those 60 and over ($1,575 versus $740 for those under 60) and those with a net worth of $6 million or more ($2,617 versus $744 for those with a net worth of $1 to $6 million). Those with an income above $200,000 averaged $1,188 versus $601 for those under $200,000 in income.

Average gift expenditures for children under 18 were highest among those 60 and over ($3,835 versus $760 for those under 50), those with a net worth of over $6 million ($1,395 versus $759 for those with a net worth of $1 to $6 million), and those with the higher income ($897 versus $607 for those with incomes above and below $200,000 respectively).

Average gift expenditures for children 18 and over were highest among those over 60 ($2,226 versus $1,191 for those 50 to 59), those with a net worth over $6 million ($4,097 versus $1,219 for those with a net worth of $1 to $6 million), and those with the higher income ($2,075 versus $1,092 for those with incomes above and below $200,000 respectively).

Average expenditures for other relatives and for friends showed a pattern similar to that of children, but the differences were somewhat smaller.

The average expenditure of spenders, weighted by the percent buying for that type of person, totaled $2,807 for the people represented by this survey. That is about five times the average of $565 for all adults, based on a recent survey for The National Retail Federation.

These results were obtained from the recently completed Fall 2005