We’ve all heard tales of Santa’s “naughty or nice list” when we were kids growing up during Christmas time. But does being nice rather than naughty, actually make a difference to how many Christmas presents we receive as adults?
To answer this question, Ivy Casino surveyed 1,000 British adults to find out if being on the “nice list“ results in finding more presents under the tree on Christmas morning.
The research revealed that Brits who are the most helpful over the course of the year, receive over twice as many Christmas presents.
Brits get twice as many presents if they’ve been good
To discover which Brits should be on the “naughty list” or the “nice list”, Ivy Casino asked respondents nine questions to determine how positive their behaviour has been over the last 12 months. The questions that were asked were:
- Did you do any volunteer work?
- Do you recycle regularly?
- Have you helped friends or family with something important?
- Have you followed through on personal goals this year (e.g. exercising or maintaining healthy habits)?
- Have you avoided negative behaviours this year (e.g. pulling sick days, breaking promises, or excessive procrastination)?
- Did you make an effort to show kindness to others this year (e.g. random acts of kindness, compliments)?
- How often do you give to charity?
- How well do you think you maintained a positive attitude and avoided conflicts with others?
- How responsible were you in keeping promises or commitments this year?
Ivy Casino then analysed the average number of “always” and “often” responses compared to “rarely” and “never”, to discover if they were on the “naughty list” or the “nice list”.
The results of the study revealed that Brits on the “nice list” get an average of nine Christmas presents, more than twice as many as those on the “naughty list”, who receive an average of four presents.
Women receive more Christmas presents than men
The research by Ivy Casino also revealed that women are more likely to receive more Christmas presents than men are.
Women receive an average of nine presents at Christmas. By comparison, men receive seven.
The study also found that women are more likely to be on the “nice list” than their male counterparts are. 55% of the “nice list” were females, whereas 60% of the “naughty list” were males.
30-44 year olds get the lowest number of Christmas presents
When looking at how the number of presents received differs by age group, the research revealed that 30-44 year olds receive the fewest Christmas presents.
30-44 year olds receive an average of seven Christmas presents, compared to nine for 45-60, 10 for 60+, and 11 presents for 18-29 year olds.
Ivy Casino representative Mark Good commented on the research saying: “Ivy Casino’s research offers a fascinating glimpse into how our actions can influence not just our relationships but also the festive spirit. It’s heartwarming to see that kindness and positive behaviour are recognised in such tangible ways—even through something as simple as Christmas presents. This data reminds us that the true spirit of the season is about giving, goodwill, and staying on the ‘nice’ list!”
