Survey Reveals Most Desired Holiday Gifts for Young Adults

Thursday, December 7th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Electronics are the most desired items by young adults this holiday season, followed closely by video games and music. These were the findings in a holiday shopping survey conducted by IQuestics, the research division of Snowball. Snowball is the leading online network for Gen i(TM) -- the Internet generation of Web-centric young adults who have grown up using the Internet.

The poll questioned 500 Gen i respondents between the ages of 13 and 30 about their holiday shopping habits and wish lists. Sixty-six percent of the Gen i respondents put electronics at the top of their lists. Gaming systems were the most frequently mentioned type of electronics, followed by PC hardware, software, computers, DVD players and stereos. The poll also featured a tool that allowed respondents to forward their wish lists on to family and friends.

Video games and music finished second on Gen i's wish list, each appearing on 60% of the responses. Some of the top video games listed were Final Fantasy IX, Shenmue and Baldur's Gate II. The most popular bands: Limp Bizkit, Blink 182, Everclear, Godsmack, Jay-Z and Metallica.

Movies appeared on 51% of the Gen i responses. The most popular titles: Gladiator, X-Men, The Matrix, Titan AE, American Beauty and Dogma. The next popular category was apparel, listed by 49% of respondents. Gap, Nike, Adidas, Eddie Bauer, American Eagle and Levi's were top of mind for Gen i. Forty-eight percent of Gen i respondents are asking for books. Tom Clancy, Robert Jordan, Anne Rice and science fiction are among those most in demand. Finally, 16% of respondents are asking for candy this Holiday season. M&M's is Gen i's overall favorite candy.

"This data mirrors what we're seeing and hearing from Snowball's close to eight million monthly visitors," said Jason Michaels, Network Director of Snowball's IGN.com. "Gen i actively thinks about how they can integrate technology into their everyday lives. Holiday shopping allows our users to indulge in these passions."

"The survey verifies what we know to be true about Gen i: they are very brand-conscious," said Kim Bastoni, Vice President of IQuestics, Snowball's research division. "The poll asked open-ended questions regarding holiday wish lists and respondents answered with specific brand names."

Gen i was also asked what items they would least like to receive for the holidays. "Unstylish clothing" including socks, underwear, sweaters and ties, "stinky perfume" and "boy band CD's" popped up the most.

Generation i will spend an average of $245 this holiday season. They will spend an average of $170 on spouses, $83 on boyfriends/girlfriends, $83 on siblings, $54 on parents, $30 on grandparents and $14 on pets.

Respondents plan to spend 76% of their dollars at "brick and mortar" stores, 20% on the Internet, and just 4% via offline catalog orders. The favorite online retailers were amazon.com, buy.com, EBWorld.com and Outpost.com.

Some respondents report that they will be giving their time or money to charities during the holidays. Thirty percent plan on donating money to charities, with women more likely to donate than men (40% to 25%). Fourteen percent of Gen i will donate their time to charities (20% of women vs. 11% of men). Favorite Gen i charities include local churches, the Salvation Army, United Way, local soup kitchen, Toys for Tots and animal shelters.