What do British mums want for Mother’s Day?

The time has come for Britons to honour their dear mums. How can we avoid disappointing them (again)? Data from YouGov Surveys: Self-serve reveals what British mothers want to do and receive as gifts on their special day.

Who does mum really want to spend the day with? And what does she want to do? 

Most mums want to spend Mother’s Day with their children (70%), with another 31% saying they’d like to spend time with their own mothers/family. One in ten (11%) say they’d like to spend time on their own, including a respondent who specified that on Mother’s Day she’d like to “Go out for a meal alone, drinking wine on the beach alone, then going home to spend time alone…”. One in twenty (5%) British moms say they would like to see their friends.

About a third of British moms (30%) would prefer not to spend Mother’s Day with their children. Among this group, spending time at home is the most popular Mother’s Day activity (27%) followed by doing nothing (25%) and going out to eat or drink (25%).

The least popular people on Mother’s Day are mothers’ romantic partners. Only 3% of British mothers say they’d like to spend time with them.

Mothers of children under the age of 18 appear to be much keener on nearly all Mother’s Day activities than mothers of adult children. For example, they’re more than three times as likely to appreciate going for a wellness treatment than mothers of adult children (21% vs 6%) and also more than twice as likely to want to spend time on their own (17% vs 7%).

The only exceptions are spending time with their children and doing nothing at all, in which both mothers of children and adults are equally interested.

Aside from spending time with their children, going out to eat or drink is the most popular activity among mothers at 37%. This is followed closely by spending time at home (31%) and distantly by taking a beauty or wellness treatment, doing nothing at all and going out for some other activity, all at 12%.

What should you buy for Mother’s Day? 

The most popular gifts among mothers are greeting cards, with 43% of mums saying they’d like to receive one. This is followed by flowers (39%), being taken out for a meal (34%) and something handmade by the giver (28%). Chocolates were also a popular write-in response.

Family photos and wellness experiences are moderately popular, with 16% of mothers interesting in receiving them. Clothing, however, is the least popular gift with only 7% of respondents selecting this option. Perhaps mothers do not completely trust their children’s taste.

YouGov polled 500 British mothers online on February 21-22. The survey was carried out through YouGov Surveys: Self-serve. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, region, and social grade. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Self-serve.