Poorest pockets buy the biggest toys

Christmas present: Lavish gifts tempt the less well off as computer heroine sweeps giants off the board

People living in Britain's poorest areas are expected to spend the most on toys, games and computers this Christmas, according to new market research.

Families in the top toy-buying districts may spend twice that of the richest boroughs in the country. The national average is pounds 76 for every child.

The estimated figures, based on a new household income survey, PayCheck, by market analysts CACI, show that the three highest spenders all have a high incidence of low earners, single parents and unemployment.

CACI claimed that in real terms, people in Knowsley near Liverpool, Halton, near Widnes in Cheshire, and Easington in Durham - ranked as Britain's poorest district - spend up to three times as much as a proportion of their income as the more affluent areas.

"Despite vastly different levels of wealth, families in the poorer districts appear to be spending more on toys per child than those in the richest districts," a spokeswoman said.

Barbie and Action Man, the joint top-selling toys this Christmas, cost around pounds 25 for the Action Man Crime Buster and pounds 19 for the Barbie Strolling Sisters. The Pre-Computer Power Pad, an electronic learning aid at number four in the charts, retails for around pounds 90. Monopoly, which came to Britain in the mid-Thirties, is the favourite board game at around pounds 11.50.

Neither child experts nor toy retailers were surprised at thestatistics, which confirm previous findings by market analysts.

Gerry Masters, of the British Association of Toy Retailers, said the phenomenon was well-known in the industry. In the East End of London, he said, he could remember seeing very large toys which were not on sale in more affluent areas. "I was told they liked big presents," he added. Similarly, in Liverpool during strikes, Fridays were seen as good days by toy stores because that was when the mothers received their allowances and would spend on the children.

In comparison, a shopkeeper in Richmond, Surrey, a wealthy borough, always complained he had to struggle to make a living, Mr Masters said. "The parents have got school fees. Although they will spend on toys, they won't buy as many and they will be more selective. They will get something which is worthy and not be lavish."

The irony was that if children were left on their own in a toy shop to choose, they would often go for something simple. "Money is not what inter- ests them," Mr Masters said.

Eileen Hayes, parenting adviser to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said that the spending was a form of compensation. "It's all very well if you've had everything you need, to make the decision that you don't have to buy all these things for your children." she said. "But if you haven't had the advantage then it's still an aspiration.

"You find the same with spending on baby goods - [the poorer families buy] the most expensive pram. In general, the middle classes and more well-off don't mind having second-hand things, whereas poor families stretch themselves."

The stress on poorer families might make it more difficult to find the time to explain to children why it was not possible to have a certain toy or game. Buying the present ends up as the line of least resistance.

But Mrs Hayes said commercial pressure could be resisted. "Don't feel guilty if you can't give your children material things, because what they need is your love and your time. The rest is definitely secondary."

Sally Witcher, director of the Child Poverty Action Group, said she would not accept the CACI figures at face value. But she said: "There is ample evidence that income support is inadequate at the best of times and at Christmas even more so. What it means is people make choices about what essentials they're going to spend on."

John Alexander of the Keep Sunday Special campaign, which has been alarmed by the commercialisation of Christmas, added another warning note. "What concerns us is all the families being pulled apart by the demand and pressures of having to go and work in the shops. In many cases, dad will be working on Christmas Eve and then back on Boxing Day to get ready for the sales."

Season's spending: how much for the children?

The UK's poorest districts in terms of mean average

household income

Local authority district pounds per child on toys

Easington, Durham 99

North Humberside, Hull 83

Blaenau, Gwent 90

Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales 85

Wansbeck, Northumberland 93

The UK's most affluent districts in terms of mean average

household income

Local authority district pounds per child on toys

Kensington & Chelsea, London 54

Chiltern, Buckinghamshire 75

Elmbridge, Surrey 72

Richmond upon Thames 60

Surrey Heath, Surrey 77

t Figures: CACI Information Services.