Most kids don’t want dolls, baseball gloves, or other old-fashioned gifts this year. Instead, it’s all about the gadgets. Weekly Reader Research asked 2866 kids ages 5 through 18 what they want most for Christmas. Far and away, electronics dominated their wish lists.
Next-generation video game consoles like the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and Xbox 360 were the number one choice of 19% of the respondents. After that, 8% wanted MP3 players like Apple’s iPod or Microsoft’s Zune. Next, 6% wanted desktop or laptop computers.
It was back to joysticks for the 6% who wanted video games (general or specific) and the 5% who wanted handheld consoles like Nintendo’s different models or the PlayStation Portable. And, don’t forget about the 5% who wanted cell phones or the 4% who wanted cameras or video cameras.
Consumer electronics represented the most popular gift category, followed by money and gift cards (no doubt to buy more electronics) at 9% and then clothes at 5%. Boys favored video game consoles more than girls, with 30% and 9% tallies, respectively. Yet 9% of the girls wanted an MP3 player the most, while only 7% of the boys put it at the top of their list.
While the holidays have always driven consumer spending, these figures should be good news for the electronics industry. Not only will these trendy presents give the market an immediate boost, they also may cultivate an electronics-savvy (if not electronics-dependent) generation that will be ready and eager to buy new gear as they head into adulthood, providing a perpetually hungry consumer base.