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Books are among Canadians’ most favourite holiday gifts, survey finds

Books are among the top five favourite gifts to receive and to give this holiday season, with one-third of Canadians saying books are among their favourite gifts to receive, according to an Ipsos survey commissioned by Indigo Books & Music.

The survey found that the main reason books make great gifts is that giving books is overwhelmingly about creating a personal connection between the gift giver and the recipient. The majority of Canadians believe that the act of giving a book is considered thoughtful (87 percent) and is a way to show gift givers understand the recipient (79 percent). Three-quarters of Canadians report that giving books is a great way to connect, and in fact, the closer the relationship the gift giver has to the recipient, the more suitable books are considered to gift.

“We truly believe that stories connect us. From inspiring a great conversation with a friend to creating an annual holiday tradition re-reading a classic as a family, books have the ability to create special moments between people,” says Rania Husseini, SVP of Print, Indigo.

While books make an appropriate gift for many occasions, the majority of Canadians (77 percent) report that the best occasion to gift a book is during Christmas and the holidays. According to the survey, two-thirds of Canadians report that they would like to receive a book this holiday season. Of those who would not like to receive a book as gift this holiday season, the primary reason is that they like to select their own books.

The survey also found that 74 percent of those looking forward to receiving a book this holiday would be excited to be receive a special edition book.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos survey conducted between October 9 to 17, 2019 on behalf of Indigo. For this survey, a random sample of 1,026 Canadian adults aged 18-70 were interviewed online.