Slough, UK: December 2014: 13 to 17 year olds are choosing traditional greetings over digital alternatives this festive season with 77% putting pen-to-paper to deliver a handwritten Christmas card, more than double those sending Christmas wishes via social media sites. That’s according to the initial findings from Logicalis’ seventh Realtime Generation Survey, an annual UK-wide survey of 1000 teenagers.
The traditional handwritten thank you letter is also the most popular way for this digital-savvy generation to say thanks for their gifts; 52% plan to write and send a letter or card this Christmas, 44% will text, and 19% said they plan to Skype or Facetime family and loved ones.
In spite of this, the survey results reveal that UK teenagers remain hooked on their gadgets:
- 40% have asked for a digital present this Christmas
- The average teenager already owns more than five digital devices
- The top devices owned by UK teens today are:
- Smartphone – 88%
- Laptop – 81%
- Tablet – 66%
- Games Console – 61%
- Desktop PC – 47%
- On average, teens spend five hours actively engaged in digital activity every day. 8% admit to spending 10-12 hours per day in front of a screen.
Chris Gabriel, CTO at Logicalis UK, said, “Although these initial findings show this generation is clearly tech-focussed and digital first in every day life, it’s positive to see that the personal touch and long-standing traditions of sending Christmas greetings is not lost.”
Further detail of the initial survey results include:
- Top ways for teens to send Christmas greetings this year:
- Written Christmas card – 77%
- Text message – 42%
- Social media – 36%
- eCard – 10%
- Top ways for teens to say thank you for Christmas gifts this year:
- Written thank you letter or card – 52%
- Text message – 44%
- Social media – 33%
- Video call – 19%
- eCard – 9%
- Top ways teens would like to receive Christmas greetings this year:
- Written Christmas card – 80%
- Text message – 34%
- Social media – 30%
- eCard – 12%
