How much would you spend on your child for a birthday present?
A Herald-DigiPoll survey has found that most parents would spend more than $30.
But the survey of 756 people also found that those with lighter pay packets were more generous than the better-off when it came to presents.
Fifty-three per
cent of those interviewed said they would spend more than $30 on presents for their child's birthday.
Twenty-six per cent would spend more than $50, with 8 per cent budgeting more than $100 for gifts.
The survey found 61 per cent of parents earning under $44,000 were prepared to spend a minimum of $30 on their child - with 34 per cent buying a present costing more than $50.
Parents earning over $44,000 kept a tighter rein on their wallets, with just 48 per cent prepared to spend more than $30 and 21 per cent handing over more than $50.
Western District Budgeting Service coordinator Lauryn Richards said people often spent more than they could afford on special occasions, such as children's birthdays.
Parents often tried to compensate for tough times during the year by spending more on birthday gifts for their children.
"The problem is it is usually on credit or using store cards, like The Warehouse and Farmers," Lauryn Richards said.
People would pile gifts on their store cards and spend the rest of the year struggling to pay off interest and finance charges.
"It ends up costing much more than it would have with cash," she said.
The survey also showed that Maori were twice as likely as Pakeha to spend more than $100 on each child.
Younger parents - aged between 18 and 39 - were also more likely than older people to be generous.
