Key findings:
- American women are more likely than men to buy gifts for friends (52% vs. 36%) and adult children (36% vs. 26%), while men are slightly more likely to buy for spouses or significant others (52% vs. 49%).
- The occasion is the leading consideration when choosing gifts for both women (70%) and men (63%), followed by closeness to the recipient and budget.
- Food and drink and gift cards are the joint most popular gift categories among both women (43% each) and men (34% each), although men are more likely to buy electronics and sports equipment.
As the holiday shopping season approaches, gift-giving is back on the agenda for American consumers and the brands hoping to reach them. But who Americans buy gifts for, what they choose and the factors influencing their decisions can differ between men and women.
New YouGov Profiles explores these differences, examining gift-buying habits across relationships, occasions, purchasing considerations and product categories to understand how men and women approach gifting.
Women gift across a broader range of relationships
Women are more likely than men to report buying gifts across most types of relationships. The one notable exception is spouses or significant others, for whom men are slightly more likely to buy gifts (52% vs. 49%).
Women are considerably more likely to buy gifts for friends (52% vs. 36%), the largest difference between the two groups. They are also more likely to buy for parents (38% vs. 31%) and adult children (36% vs. 26%), with similar differences seen across extended family and younger age groups.
This pattern suggests broader gift-buying activity among women across family and social circles, rather than differences confined to a single relationship type. Additionally, men are more likely than women to say they do not buy gifts at all (21% vs. 13%).
Gift-giving trends: Life events and social moments see higher participation among women
Differences also appear in the types of occasions that prompt gift-giving.
Women are more likely than men to report buying gifts for a range of life events and social moments, including milestones such as weddings (56% vs. 47%) and graduations (48% vs. 39%), as well as moments like the birth of a child (43% vs. 28%) and expressions of appreciation (32% vs. 24%).
The gap is particularly pronounced for events such as baby showers (55% vs. 30%) and bridal showers (42% vs. 17%), potentially due to them being more gendered in participation.
Gifting insights: Occasion, relationship, and budget underpin gift decisions
The occasion is the top influence for both groups (70% of women vs. 63% of men), followed by closeness to the recipient (60% vs. 49%) and budget (57% vs. 42%).
Women are more likely than men to take the recipient’s preferences (50% vs. 37%) and the usefulness of the gift (45% vs. 35%) into account.
While women are consistently more likely to cite each factor, the overall hierarchy remains consistent, pointing to a shared decision-making framework centered on context, relationship, and cost.
American men are more likely to buy electronics, but women lead across most categories
Food and drink and vouchers or gift cards are the joint most popular gift categories among both American men (34% each) and women (43% each), according to YouGov Profiles data.
Beyond these shared preferences, women are more likely to buy most types of gifts. Clothes, shoes and bags rank third among both genders, although women are more likely to purchase them (40% vs. 29%). Toys and games (34% vs. 26%) and books (31% vs. 24%) also feature among the top five for both groups.
The largest difference is in health and beauty products, purchased by 28% of women compared with 11% of men.
Men, meanwhile, are more likely to buy electronics (14% vs. 10%), sports equipment (8% vs. 6%) and DVDs, CDs or Blu-rays (7% vs. 6%). They are also more likely to say they do not buy gifts at all (21% vs. 14%).
Gift-giving may follow the same underlying rules for everyone, but in practice, women are more likely to engage across a wider social and emotional landscape, while men’s participation is more selective.
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 October 2025 and October 2026, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in the U.S. and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.
Picture credits: Getty Images
