Mother's Day Gifts Polarized: 30% Say 'No Particular Preference' Despite Focus on Recipient
A survey by For-it Inc. on Mother's Day gift preferences revealed a polarization in consumer choices, with over 30% of respondents stating they have "no particular preference." While "the recipient (mother) wanting it" was the most cited priority, the significant "no preference" group indicates a divergence in consumer attitudes. The study also highlighted generational and gender differences in gift-giving considerations.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 17:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 08:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 23:54 (15h 22m after Collected)
For-it Inc., which develops and operates the affiliate platform "afb" (https://www.afi-b.com/), conducted a survey on Mother's Day targeting 500 people nationwide aged 20-60, and summarized characteristics by age group.
Please cooperate by citing the following link as the source when quoting article content, graphs, data, etc., not by reprinting this press release.
https://www.afi-b.com/beginner/archives/tsushin/15560/
(nofollow attribute not allowed)
【Survey Background】
Carnations are a classic gift for Mother's Day, but in recent years, gift variations have become diverse, and many people may be giving presents other than carnations. Therefore, this time, we conducted a survey on what gifts are given and what gifts are happy to receive on Mother's Day.
【Survey Overview】
Target: Men and women aged 10-59
Sample Size: 500 people
Residency: Nationwide
Survey Method: Online research
Survey Date: March 2, 2026
【Question: When choosing a Mother's Day gift, what is the most important point you consider?】
Response options:
1. Whether the recipient (mother) wants it.
2. Whether it fits within my budget.
3. Speed of delivery/convenience (e.g., EC usage).
4. Visual appeal/splendor.
5. Limited edition/trendy feel.
6. Practicality/long-lasting use.
7. Something that doesn't make them feel obligated to "reciprocate."
8. No particular preference.
Most common is "Recipient wants it," while over 30% say "No particular preference," indicating polarization.
When asked about the most important point when choosing a Mother's Day gift, the most frequent answer was "Whether the recipient (mother) wants it" at 32.2%. This was followed by "Whether it fits within my budget" at 14.2%, and "Something that doesn't make them feel obligated to reciprocate" at 5.6%. Additionally, 33.4% answered "No particular preference."
Gift Perspectives Change by Age Group: Younger generations are reality-oriented, while middle-aged and older generations focus on the recipient.
Looking at the results by age group, the points considered important in choosing Mother's Day gifts clearly show differences in values across generations. Particularly in their 40s and 50s, the proportion of "Whether the recipient (mother) wants it" was high, reaching the highest level at 43% for the 40s. This is likely influenced by the fact that they themselves have families and have more opportunities to consider things from the recipient's perspective, strengthening the consciousness of valuing "value for the recipient" through personal experience. On the other hand, in their 20s and 30s, realistic factors such as "Whether it fits within my budget" and "Something that doesn't make them feel obligated to reciprocate" accounted for a certain percentage, showing a balance of economic conditions and consideration. The proportion of "No particular preference" was also relatively high among younger generations, suggesting that a certain number of people have not yet established clear criteria for gift selection.
Women are "recipient-oriented," while men are "no standard" majority, a contrasting result.
Looking at the results by gender, differences in values regarding gift selection are relatively clear. For women, "Whether the recipient (mother) wants it" was highest at 39.1%, significantly exceeding men. This result suggests that women tend to make choices that place a higher emphasis on the recipient's feelings and needs, likely due to their generally higher awareness of gifts and communication in daily life. In contrast, for men, "No particular preference" was overwhelmingly high at 42.7%, a large difference compared to women. This may indicate that a large proportion of men do not have a clear decision-making criterion for Mother's Day gift selection and choose them conventionally or based on the situation. While the differences between genders were relatively small for items like "budget" and "practicality," overall, men tended to prioritize rationality, and women tended to prioritize empathy.
Married individuals prioritize the recipient; unmarried individuals show low engagement.
Looking at the results by marital status (married/unmarried), the points emphasized in choosing Mother's Day gifts differ significantly by life stage. For married individuals, "Whether the recipient (mother) wants it" was 39.7%, more than 10% higher than for unmarried individuals. This is thought to be influenced by increased experience in understanding the needs of others in family life and more opportunities to be conscious of Mother's Day as a family event. On the other hand, for unmarried individuals, "No particular preference" was high at 37.1%, a significant difference compared to married individuals. This may be because Mother's Day is not a highly prioritized event in daily life, or because the criteria are ambiguous when making decisions independently. Furthermore, among unmarried individuals, it was also found that a certain number of people have low engagement in gift selection itself, potentially related to the option of "not giving a gift."
Please cooperate by citing the following link as the source when quoting article content, graphs, data, etc., not by reprinting this press release.
https://www.afi-b.com/beginner/archives/tsushin/15560/
(nofollow attribute not allowed)
【Survey Background】
Carnations are a classic gift for Mother's Day, but in recent years, gift variations have become diverse, and many people may be giving presents other than carnations. Therefore, this time, we conducted a survey on what gifts are given and what gifts are happy to receive on Mother's Day.
【Survey Overview】
Target: Men and women aged 10-59
Sample Size: 500 people
Residency: Nationwide
Survey Method: Online research
Survey Date: March 2, 2026
【Question: When choosing a Mother's Day gift, what is the most important point you consider?】
Response options:
1. Whether the recipient (mother) wants it.
2. Whether it fits within my budget.
3. Speed of delivery/convenience (e.g., EC usage).
4. Visual appeal/splendor.
5. Limited edition/trendy feel.
6. Practicality/long-lasting use.
7. Something that doesn't make them feel obligated to "reciprocate."
8. No particular preference.
Most common is "Recipient wants it," while over 30% say "No particular preference," indicating polarization.
When asked about the most important point when choosing a Mother's Day gift, the most frequent answer was "Whether the recipient (mother) wants it" at 32.2%. This was followed by "Whether it fits within my budget" at 14.2%, and "Something that doesn't make them feel obligated to reciprocate" at 5.6%. Additionally, 33.4% answered "No particular preference."
Gift Perspectives Change by Age Group: Younger generations are reality-oriented, while middle-aged and older generations focus on the recipient.
Looking at the results by age group, the points considered important in choosing Mother's Day gifts clearly show differences in values across generations. Particularly in their 40s and 50s, the proportion of "Whether the recipient (mother) wants it" was high, reaching the highest level at 43% for the 40s. This is likely influenced by the fact that they themselves have families and have more opportunities to consider things from the recipient's perspective, strengthening the consciousness of valuing "value for the recipient" through personal experience. On the other hand, in their 20s and 30s, realistic factors such as "Whether it fits within my budget" and "Something that doesn't make them feel obligated to reciprocate" accounted for a certain percentage, showing a balance of economic conditions and consideration. The proportion of "No particular preference" was also relatively high among younger generations, suggesting that a certain number of people have not yet established clear criteria for gift selection.
Women are "recipient-oriented," while men are "no standard" majority, a contrasting result.
Looking at the results by gender, differences in values regarding gift selection are relatively clear. For women, "Whether the recipient (mother) wants it" was highest at 39.1%, significantly exceeding men. This result suggests that women tend to make choices that place a higher emphasis on the recipient's feelings and needs, likely due to their generally higher awareness of gifts and communication in daily life. In contrast, for men, "No particular preference" was overwhelmingly high at 42.7%, a large difference compared to women. This may indicate that a large proportion of men do not have a clear decision-making criterion for Mother's Day gift selection and choose them conventionally or based on the situation. While the differences between genders were relatively small for items like "budget" and "practicality," overall, men tended to prioritize rationality, and women tended to prioritize empathy.
Married individuals prioritize the recipient; unmarried individuals show low engagement.
Looking at the results by marital status (married/unmarried), the points emphasized in choosing Mother's Day gifts differ significantly by life stage. For married individuals, "Whether the recipient (mother) wants it" was 39.7%, more than 10% higher than for unmarried individuals. This is thought to be influenced by increased experience in understanding the needs of others in family life and more opportunities to be conscious of Mother's Day as a family event. On the other hand, for unmarried individuals, "No particular preference" was high at 37.1%, a significant difference compared to married individuals. This may be because Mother's Day is not a highly prioritized event in daily life, or because the criteria are ambiguous when making decisions independently. Furthermore, among unmarried individuals, it was also found that a certain number of people have low engagement in gift selection itself, potentially related to the option of "not giving a gift."