More than 80 per cent of Australians would consider making changes to their usual Christmas spending habits to help the environment and rein in mass consumption, according to a Oxfam Australia-commissioned poll.
The nation-wide online survey of 1,000 people, conducted by Research Now, found that almost half of those surveyed – 45 per cent – are fed up with giving and receiving unnecessary Christmas gifts while 35 per cent said they dreaded facing crowds at shopping centres.
Among the changes Australians would most prefer to implement are buying loved ones an “experience” rather than a physical gift, doing away with Christmas wrapping paper, and buying a charity-related gift.
Pam Anders, director of public engagement at Oxfam Australia, said the research confirmed “what we’ve probably suspected for a while now – Australians are increasingly looking for Christmas ideas that are ethical and meaningful”.
“Christmas is such a beautiful and special time of year and we tend to get so caught up in over-doing it there’s a risk we could forget what’s most important,” she said.
Ms Anders said Oxfam were encouraging Australians to make just a few small changes to their spending habits to have a more ethical Christmas, whether that means buying a sustainably grown pine Christmas tree or purchasing ethically made gifts.
Oxfam, which works in more than 85 countries, is once again offering people the chance to join in Oxfam Unwrapped, an iniatitive in which gift recipients receive a card illustrating a gift – whether a goat, chicken or vegetable garden – that has been given to someone on their behalf overseas.
