How do Kampalans spend Christmas?
Dec 20, 2007
CHRISTMAS is arguably the most expensive season. The world over, multi-millionaires spend lavishly on gifts like jewels and renting private islands. <br>The super-rich even go to the extreme spending, on average, more than 10,000 dollars on simple things like pampering their pets. And in our own ba
By Harriette Onyalla and Arthur Baguma
CHRISTMAS is arguably the most expensive season. The world over, multi-millionaires spend lavishly on gifts like jewels and renting private islands.
The super-rich even go to the extreme spending, on average, more than 10,000 dollars on simple things like pampering their pets. And in our own backyard it is not any different.
Ordinarily, a Ugandan who lives on less than a dollar for the 364 days of the year, will go out of his way to spend 20 times more in less than 24 hours — that is on Christmas.
An average Ugandan will spend 20 times more this Christmas compared to any other ordinary day, a New Vision survey has indicated.
The survey carried out among 500 people living in Kampala, shows that 86% of Kampala residents plan to spend not more than sh250,000 (about $120) on Christmas. If sh250,000 is equally distributed among members of an average family of six, each person will use about sh33,400 ($20). This is 20 times more than a dollar daily expenditure of most Ugandans.
This means on average, each member will spend 20 times more on Christmas than on any other day.
However this does not mean that some people will not spend lavishly by Ugandan standards. Some will go on long expensive holidays, consequently spending 1,000 times more than the average sh33,400.
About 5.2% of the correspondents, most likely the upper class will spend over sh500,000 (about $300). A total of 8.8%, which is most likely the middle working class, will spend over sh250,000, but not more than sh500,000.
While to some, religion is the most important aspect of the holiday, for others it is an opportunity to get and receive gifts.
A total of 60.2% of the correspondents say they will give out Christmas gifts. “God gave his only begotten son and we are to give, however small, but a special gift to our fellow mankind,†a lady said.
For this reason 69.2% of people said they gave a Christmas gift last year.
But mothers still remain the most adored compared to fathers; 43 respondents gave Christmas gifts to their mothers.
Christmas, they say, is a time for giving. It is often a time one would expect the homeless and disadvantaged to get something.
But Kampala’s poor must be the most miserable at Christmas. In a survey of 500 people carried out by The New Vision, only 1.2% gave a gift to a homeless disadvantaged person last Christmas. And they were all in the 46-55 age bracket.
Still, 10.8% gave gifts to their spouses, 10.5% to their friends and another 10.5% gave gifts to their children. On the other side, however, 58.8% of the correspondents received Christmas gifts.
And while Christmas is about the birth of a messiah, just how many people go to church and how often? This survey gave insight into the church-going habits of some Ugandans. While 53.4% said they go to church every Sunday, only 2.4% said if they go to church this Christmas, it will be the first time they did so since the year began.
The hustles of Christmas worry many during this festive season. Most of the correspondents said although they look forward to the festive season, with it come several bothers. High transport fares and high expenditure are cited as the leading pangs of Christmas anxieties.
This concern is understandable as it has been the case for ages. Transport fares, especially on upcountry routes double and sometimes triple during this period.
But as some seem so bothered about the high expenditures, those staying behind in Kampala may find the city almost deserted as over 50% of the population plan to travel to their home villages to celebrate the birth of Christ.
The survey revealed that 52.2% plan to travel to their home districts for Christmas. The highest percentage of these; 79.5% are above the age of 56, while 54.5% of those who said they would travel upcountry for Christmas are between 46-55 years.
A total of 53.7% of the people who said they would not travel upcountry are between 36-45 years old, while 51.4% of the age bracket 26-35 plan to travel.
But while 100% of the widows interviewed said they will travel upcountry, only 38.2% of the single people planned to make the trip.
A total of 59.2% of the married will also be among those travelling to their home districts in the name of Christmas. Surprisingly, the survey revealed that 53.8% of those who have separated from their spouses will also be in the Christmas exodus.
However, while the place where Christmas will find each one of us was an issue, who we will be spending Christmas with was just as important. Only 8.4% of the singles, most of whom said they did not have plans to travel upcountry, intimated that they would spend the day with their boyfriends or girlfriends.
A dismal 4.8% will have Christmas with colleagues at work, while the bulk, 235 of the 500 respondents said they would celebrate the day with their spouses and children. The other 42.2% who are probably singles said this Christmas would find them with their parents.
And since Christmas gives us reason to celebrate, spending therefore, becomes part and parcel of the day. Most of the respondents (31.4%) said they would spend between sh110,000 to sh250,000 on this day, 147 people said they would spend between sh51,000 to 100,000 and 120 others would spend between sh11,000 to sh50,000.
Only six of the respondents said they will spend less than sh10,000 on Christmas.
Perhaps of interest is also the 8.8% who plan to spend between sh250,000 to sh500,000 and the 5.2% who will spend more than sh500,000 on Christmas celebrations.
Most of this money the survey shows will be business profits as 54.2% of respondents said they would use their business profits to finance the Christmas festivities.
Only 10.2% of the people interviewed said they had been saving money for this time since the beginning of the year, while 8% said they began saving three months ago.
However, 19% said they were banking on their December pay, while 8.6% will have to make do with the stinginess or goodwill of their employers for they will rely on the Christmas or end of year bonus.
For some, Christmas cannot be Christmas without a new outfit. And indeed the figures show. A total of 50% of the respondents said they would buy a Christmas dress.
However, it seems that age-long pressure from wives for a ‘Christmas gomesi’ must be dying as only 26.2% of the respondents said they would buy for their partners something new to wear on Christmas.
Good enough, children will always remain children and parents will always strive to make Christmas special for them. That is probably why 49.8% of the respondents said they will buy for their children new clothes this Christmas.
Some parents could also get lucky as 35.8% of the people The New Vision spoke to said they will buy their parents something new to wear on Christmas. Eleven people said they would buy Christmas clothes for their brothers and sisters.
Of the 500 respondents interviewed, 247 were male, while the other 253 were female.
A total of 258 of those surveyed were self-employed, while 76 work for NGOs and 123 are civil servants. Only four housewives were interviewed while 11 students also featured in the survey.
CHRISTMAS is arguably the most expensive season. The world over, multi-millionaires spend lavishly on gifts like jewels and renting private islands.
The super-rich even go to the extreme spending, on average, more than 10,000 dollars on simple things like pampering their pets. And in our own backyard it is not any different.
Ordinarily, a Ugandan who lives on less than a dollar for the 364 days of the year, will go out of his way to spend 20 times more in less than 24 hours — that is on Christmas.
An average Ugandan will spend 20 times more this Christmas compared to any other ordinary day, a New Vision survey has indicated.
The survey carried out among 500 people living in Kampala, shows that 86% of Kampala residents plan to spend not more than sh250,000 (about $120) on Christmas. If sh250,000 is equally distributed among members of an average family of six, each person will use about sh33,400 ($20). This is 20 times more than a dollar daily expenditure of most Ugandans.
This means on average, each member will spend 20 times more on Christmas than on any other day.
However this does not mean that some people will not spend lavishly by Ugandan standards. Some will go on long expensive holidays, consequently spending 1,000 times more than the average sh33,400.
About 5.2% of the correspondents, most likely the upper class will spend over sh500,000 (about $300). A total of 8.8%, which is most likely the middle working class, will spend over sh250,000, but not more than sh500,000.
While to some, religion is the most important aspect of the holiday, for others it is an opportunity to get and receive gifts.
A total of 60.2% of the correspondents say they will give out Christmas gifts. “God gave his only begotten son and we are to give, however small, but a special gift to our fellow mankind,†a lady said.
For this reason 69.2% of people said they gave a Christmas gift last year.
But mothers still remain the most adored compared to fathers; 43 respondents gave Christmas gifts to their mothers.
Christmas, they say, is a time for giving. It is often a time one would expect the homeless and disadvantaged to get something.
But Kampala’s poor must be the most miserable at Christmas. In a survey of 500 people carried out by The New Vision, only 1.2% gave a gift to a homeless disadvantaged person last Christmas. And they were all in the 46-55 age bracket.
Still, 10.8% gave gifts to their spouses, 10.5% to their friends and another 10.5% gave gifts to their children. On the other side, however, 58.8% of the correspondents received Christmas gifts.
And while Christmas is about the birth of a messiah, just how many people go to church and how often? This survey gave insight into the church-going habits of some Ugandans. While 53.4% said they go to church every Sunday, only 2.4% said if they go to church this Christmas, it will be the first time they did so since the year began.
The hustles of Christmas worry many during this festive season. Most of the correspondents said although they look forward to the festive season, with it come several bothers. High transport fares and high expenditure are cited as the leading pangs of Christmas anxieties.
This concern is understandable as it has been the case for ages. Transport fares, especially on upcountry routes double and sometimes triple during this period.
But as some seem so bothered about the high expenditures, those staying behind in Kampala may find the city almost deserted as over 50% of the population plan to travel to their home villages to celebrate the birth of Christ.
The survey revealed that 52.2% plan to travel to their home districts for Christmas. The highest percentage of these; 79.5% are above the age of 56, while 54.5% of those who said they would travel upcountry for Christmas are between 46-55 years.
A total of 53.7% of the people who said they would not travel upcountry are between 36-45 years old, while 51.4% of the age bracket 26-35 plan to travel.
But while 100% of the widows interviewed said they will travel upcountry, only 38.2% of the single people planned to make the trip.
A total of 59.2% of the married will also be among those travelling to their home districts in the name of Christmas. Surprisingly, the survey revealed that 53.8% of those who have separated from their spouses will also be in the Christmas exodus.
However, while the place where Christmas will find each one of us was an issue, who we will be spending Christmas with was just as important. Only 8.4% of the singles, most of whom said they did not have plans to travel upcountry, intimated that they would spend the day with their boyfriends or girlfriends.
A dismal 4.8% will have Christmas with colleagues at work, while the bulk, 235 of the 500 respondents said they would celebrate the day with their spouses and children. The other 42.2% who are probably singles said this Christmas would find them with their parents.
And since Christmas gives us reason to celebrate, spending therefore, becomes part and parcel of the day. Most of the respondents (31.4%) said they would spend between sh110,000 to sh250,000 on this day, 147 people said they would spend between sh51,000 to 100,000 and 120 others would spend between sh11,000 to sh50,000.
Only six of the respondents said they will spend less than sh10,000 on Christmas.
Perhaps of interest is also the 8.8% who plan to spend between sh250,000 to sh500,000 and the 5.2% who will spend more than sh500,000 on Christmas celebrations.
Most of this money the survey shows will be business profits as 54.2% of respondents said they would use their business profits to finance the Christmas festivities.
Only 10.2% of the people interviewed said they had been saving money for this time since the beginning of the year, while 8% said they began saving three months ago.
However, 19% said they were banking on their December pay, while 8.6% will have to make do with the stinginess or goodwill of their employers for they will rely on the Christmas or end of year bonus.
For some, Christmas cannot be Christmas without a new outfit. And indeed the figures show. A total of 50% of the respondents said they would buy a Christmas dress.
However, it seems that age-long pressure from wives for a ‘Christmas gomesi’ must be dying as only 26.2% of the respondents said they would buy for their partners something new to wear on Christmas.
Good enough, children will always remain children and parents will always strive to make Christmas special for them. That is probably why 49.8% of the respondents said they will buy for their children new clothes this Christmas.
Some parents could also get lucky as 35.8% of the people The New Vision spoke to said they will buy their parents something new to wear on Christmas. Eleven people said they would buy Christmas clothes for their brothers and sisters.
Of the 500 respondents interviewed, 247 were male, while the other 253 were female.
A total of 258 of those surveyed were self-employed, while 76 work for NGOs and 123 are civil servants. Only four housewives were interviewed while 11 students also featured in the survey.