07-Apr-2021 • Personal Finance
More Australians will be opening their purses for chocolate, luxury food items and alcohol this Easter, rather than spending on regional or interstate travel. That was the key finding from ME’s Easter Spending Survey, conducted in March 2021.
When Australians were asked to think about their Easter celebrations this year and what they planned to spend money on, results showed:
- 73% plan to spend on Easter eggs and chocolate
- 29% plan to spend on seafood or other luxury food items
- 29% plan to spend on alcohol
- 17% plan to spend on a regional trip
- and 7% plan to spend on an interstate trip.
Additionally, ME’s research revealed those Aussies planning to put their dollars towards chocolate would spend an average of $40 this year - $16 less than the pre-COVID average in 2019.
ME’s Money Expert, Matthew Read said, “Despite many Australians spending their Easter in COVID-19 lockdowns last year and most travel restrictions now being lifted, it’s surprising to see spending intentions continuing to lean towards smaller luxuries like chocolate and seafood, instead of regional or interstate travel.
“It’s clear Aussies aren't rushing to the airport, preferring to celebrate closer to home, and this may be indicative of generally more conservative spending mindsets at the moment.”
ME also asked Australians in their Easter Spending Survey if they planned to spend more on their celebrations this year, thinking about costs such as travel, food and gifts, and the majority of respondents (64%) indicated they “would not be spending more.”
“It appears many households are tightening their budgets these holidays, but there's a wide range of chocolate available at Easter time to suit all price ranges. It doesn’t need to be an expensive celebration if you set a budget in advance and plan your chocolate shopping haul accordingly,” says Mr Read.
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Editor notes: ME’s Easter Survey is based on national survey of 1,000 Australian adults. The survey was conducted in March 2021 with fieldwork by Pure Profile.