One-in-four Brits happy with fake Xmas presents, poll finds

Almost one-quarter of UK adults would be happy to receive a Christmas present they knew was fake, a poll found.

The finding by pollsters YouGov shows growing acceptance of fake goods as presents, with the year-on-year rise attributed to an understanding that friends and family are struggling financially.

Roy Crozier, partner at the firm that ran the poll, Clarke Willmott, said: "The results of this year’s survey show increase in scale of demand and changing attitude towards counterfeit goods, whether it’s people buying them, tempted into buying them in the future or receiving them."

The attitude to receiving fake goods as gifts varies by product category, with people far happier to be given counterfeit clothes than electronics. Just 8 per cent of the 2,000 consumers polled would be happy to receive a fake electronic product for Christmas.

A slight rise in acceptance of fake goods as gifts was accompanied by a similar uptick in people buying counterfeits. The poll found 18 per cent of people bought a fake product this year, while a further 10 per cent were tempted. Both figures are up one percentage point on 2011.