How men and women differ in gift-giving habits in the UK

Key findings:

• Women in the UK are more likely than men to buy gifts across relationships and occasions, from friends (64% vs. 37%) to weddings (68% vs. 54%). 
• Men and women prioritise similar factors when choosing gifts, occasion, closeness, and budget, though women are more likely to consider each (e.g. occasion: 77% vs. 65%). 
• Gift choices are broadly similar, but women are more active across most categories (e.g. health and beauty: 49% vs. 20%), while men over-index in a few, including electronics (13% vs. 7%).

Gift-giving in the UK is tied to how people maintain relationships, mark milestones, and engage in social events. From birthdays and weddings to smaller gestures of appreciation, gifting plays a role across a wide range of interactions.

Data from YouGov Profiles looks at how men and women in the UK approach gifting by looking at who they buy for, which occasions prompt purchases, what drives their decisions, and the types of gifts they choose.

Gifting insight #1: Women gift across a broader range of relationships

Across all relationship types, women in the UK are more active gift-givers than men. Buying for a spouse or partner is one area where behaviour is similar (60% of women vs. 58% of men), but beyond that, differences become more pronounced.

Women are almost twice as likely as men to buy gifts for friends (64% vs. 37%) and are also more likely to buy for parents (50% vs. 41%) and adult children (37% vs. 26%). This pattern extends across extended family and younger age groups, where women consistently report higher participation.

At the other end of the spectrum, men are nearly twice as likely as women to say they do not buy gifts at all (17% vs. 9%).

Gifting insight #2: Men participate less in gift-giving across most occasions

Across most life events and social moments, men are less likely to report buying gifts.

For major milestones such as weddings, around two-thirds of women (68%) say they buy gifts, compared with just over half of men (54%). The gap widens further for events tied to family expansion: 60% of women buy gifts for the birth of a child, compared with 35% of men.

For more informal events, such as saying thank you, women are also markedly more likely to give gifts (42% vs. 25%).

The differences are most pronounced for occasions such as baby showers (31% vs. 10%) and bridal showers (10% vs. 3%), where women are around three times as likely as men to report buying gifts.

Gifting insight #3: Occasion, closeness and budget underpin gift decisions

Despite differences in participation, men and women in the UK prioritise similar factors when deciding what to buy.

The occasion is the leading driver for both groups, cited by around three-quarters of women (77%) and two-thirds of men (65%). Closeness to the recipient follows a similar pattern (70% vs. 52%), as does budget (61% vs. 43%).

Other considerations, including the recipient’s preferences (56% vs. 36%) and what they need (42% vs. 29%) also rank on the list.

Across each of these factors, women are consistently more likely to say they take them into account.

Gifting insight #4: What people buy is broadly similar, but differences emerge at the margins

When it comes to the types of gifts people buy, the broad picture is similar for both men and women. Everyday items dominate: food and drink is the most common choice (71% of women and 53% of men), followed by vouchers or gift cards (50% vs. 39%), clothing (37% vs. 28%), and books (39% vs. 26%).

Women are more active across most categories, particularly in areas such as health and beauty, where they are more than twice as likely as men to buy these items (49% vs. 20%). Jewellery (36% vs. 22%) and personalised gifts (28% vs. 18%) show similar gaps.

Men, meanwhile, stand out in a smaller number of categories. They are more likely to give electronics (13% vs. 7%), as well as DVDs/CDs/Blu-rays (9% vs. 7%). Men are roughly twice as likely as women to say they do not buy gifts at all (17% vs. 9%).

The findings highlight that gift-giving in the UK extends well beyond traditional categories, with everyday items, from food and drink to clothing and experiences, playing a central role.

While women are more likely to engage across a wider range of relationships and occasions, the underlying drivers of gifting remain consistent across both genders. For brands, this suggests that almost any product can sit within a gifting context, provided it is positioned around the right moment, relationship, and price point, making occasion-based marketing and messaging key to capturing demand.

Methodology: 

YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between April 2025 and April 2026, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in Great Britain and weighted by age, gender, region, education, and social grade.

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