Half of Americans will purchase toys and half of toy purchasers will buy at large discount stores

NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The stores' circulars are out and the commercials have definitely started. It's the time of year when kids start their holiday gift lists and are sometimes more interested in the commercials rather than the television shows themselves. And, those who purchase gifts for kids are listening. Half of Americans (51%) say they will be purchasing toys as gifts this holiday season, while two in five (40%) will not and one in ten (9%) are not sure. As one might expect, whether there is a child in the household does impact purchase intent – three-quarters of those with a child in the household (72%) say they plan to purchase toys compared to 42% of those without a child in the household.

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These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,463 adults surveyed online between October 10 and 17, 2011 by Harris Interactive®.

Toy manufacturers should expect slightly less in terms of sales when compared to the last two years. In 2009 and 2010 over half of Americans (54% and 53% respectively) said they were planning to purchase toys as gifts, so this year is just slight decline.

Spending on toys compared to last year

In terms of how much people will spend, the economy is still taking its toll on holiday spending. While more than two in five toy purchasers (46%) say their spending will be no different than last year, over one-third (35%) say they will spend less than they did last year while 16% say they will spend more than they did last year. Among those toy purchasers with a child in the household 16% say they will spend more than they did last year, over two in five (43%) say their spend will be no different and two in five (39%) say they will spend less than they did last year.

Toys to be purchased this year

When it comes to the toys children will be unwrapping this holiday season, it seems books, video games and arts and crafts projects will top the list. Over two in five toy purchasers (45%) say they will purchase children's books, while one-third will buy games for consoles (33%) and three in ten will buy arts and crafts (29%). One-quarter (25%) will purchase board games and dolls (25%) as gifts. Just over one in five will purchase building blocks and bricks (23%), one in five will purchase handheld electronic games (20%) and sports equipment (19 %) while 7% will purchase game consoles. One-quarter will purchase something else in terms of toys for kids (25%) and one in five are just not sure (20%).

For those with a 0-2 year old in the household, children's books clearly top the list (69%), followed by dolls (52%) and building blocks and bricks (51%). For those with a 3-5 year old in the household, children's books are tops (62%), then arts and crafts (44%) and dolls (41%) while for those with a 6-9 year old, it's still children's books on top (59%), then games for consoles (52%) and board games (45%). Looking at those with a tween (ages 10-12) in the household, they are purchasing games for consoles (67%), then children's books (43%) and board games (41%) while those with a teen (13-17) are buying games for consoles (62%), sports equipment (37%) and children's books (34%).

Where people are shopping for toys

In terms of where these toy dollars will be spent, over half of toy purchasers will be mostly shopping for toys at large discount stores (56%), while over one-quarter (27%) will mostly shop online for toys this year. One in ten (10%) will mostly shop at a national toy retail chain store while 4% will shop at a local, privately owned specialty toy store. Women are more likely to shop mostly at a large discount store for toys (61% vs. 50% of men) while men are more likely to shop for toys at a national toy store retail chain (14% vs. 6% of women).

So what?

While the holiday season is a joyous time for so many, it is an especially happy one for the children. And, one of those reasons is that it is when their holiday wish lists get written and, if they were good boys and girls, answered. This year, books and games are top for purchasing so hopefully those are on the top of the wish lists!

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between October 10 to 17, 2011 among 2,463 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

J40806                          
Q955, 960, 965, 970, 975

The Harris Poll® #119, November 16, 2011                
By Regina A. Corso, SVP, Harris Poll, Public Relations and Youth Research, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

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SOURCE Harris Interactive

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