The vast majority of Poles will cover their Christmas expenses from current income or savings, and only a small group will turn to additional forms of financing such as credit cards, deferred payments or loans, according to the survey “Christmas Spending of Poles” commissioned by Bank Millennium. We will spend an average of PLN 1,589 on Christmas, of which around half will go to gifts. This is almost the same as last year, but compared with 2019, when we planned to spend PLN 1,182, the increase in costs is clearly visible.
The public opinion survey “Christmas Spending of Poles,” conducted for Bank Millennium, provides insights into preparations for Christmas – attitudes toward spending, gifts, shopping styles and how people plan to spend the holidays.
A few weeks before Christmas Eve, as many as 38% of respondents are unable to specify their budget. Those who have planned it declare expenses of PLN 1,589. The highest spending is expected among people aged 40–49 (PLN 1,730) and seniors (PLN 1,647), while young people (18–29) will spend the least – on average PLN 1,367. Most consumers will do their grocery shopping in discount stores (58%), less often in hypermarkets and supermarkets (42%), local shops (25%) or markets (19%).
Respondents declare a cautious approach to December spending – this will not be a Christmas on credit. As many as 76% plan to cover the cost of food shopping from current income (salary, earnings) or from savings (34%). Only a small share will resort to other forms of financing, such as credit cards (8%), deferred payments (4%), bank loans or borrowing from relatives (2% each).
Poles are cautious about spending and keen to look for bargains – three quarters of respondents say they hunt for promotions before Christmas. Most often they search for them on store websites (56%), in mobile apps aggregating current promotions (50%) or in printed promotional leaflets (37%).
The “Christmas Spending of Poles” survey shows that four in ten people still do not know how much they will spend on gifts. The rest declare that they will spend an average of PLN 819 on presents for loved ones. Men plan to be more generous (PLN 905) than women (PLN 744). Among age groups, seniors expect the highest gift spending, at nearly PLN 900.
Poles will buy gifts mainly online – on a computer (38%) or smartphone (30%). Those who opt for traditional shopping will mostly choose specific brick-and-mortar stores (21%) or supermarkets (19%). As many as 61% of respondents plan to buy presents in advance, fewer than one third (30%) prefer to choose them spontaneously, and 10% have not yet decided where they will buy them.
The most popular gifts under the Christmas tree this year will be cosmetics or perfumes (planned by half of respondents). Next on the list are sweets (39%), toys (35%), books (31%) and clothing or underwear (28%). Gift cards (22%) and cash (21%) also appear fairly often in responses, which may indicate a desire to avoid poorly chosen presents. Tech and high-value gifts such as electronics, games or consoles will be less popular this year – only 12%, 9% and 4% of respondents respectively plan to give them to loved ones.
The survey shows that Christmas is getting more expensive year by year. In 2019, respondents planned to spend PLN 1,182, two years later PLN 1,277, in 2023 almost PLN 1,500, and now expenses will reach around PLN 1,600. In this context, Bank Millennium asked about how prices affect purchasing decisions. Poles are strongly divided in their assessment of the impact of prices on Christmas shopping and mood. Half (51%) admit that rising prices take away some of the joy of the holidays, while as many as 41% disagree. Four in ten respondents (44%) intend to cut back on spending this year, while a similar share (42%) do not plan such measures. 42% say they will look for cheaper alternatives to traditional Christmas foods, while 47% do not intend to do so. A majority (61%) say they do not feel pressured to spend more on Christmas than their budget allows.
The “Christmas Spending of Poles” survey indicates that Christmas remains above all a time of home comfort and closeness. As many as 71% of respondents will spend the holidays in the town or city where they live every day. Most (62%) will stay in their own homes or visit family (29%), and only a few will opt for a Christmas trip within Poland or abroad (2% of responses in each case).
The survey “Christmas Spending of Poles” was conducted between 8 and 18 November 2025 by the research agency IBRiS on behalf of Bank Millennium on a representative sample of 1,000 people, using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) and computer-assisted web interviews (CAWI).
