Half of young adults in the Netherlands, Germany and France will save on dinners, and 43% will invite fewer guests
Amsterdam, December 21, 2022 - Only 14% of young Europeans don’t intend to cut their spending in any way this holiday season, according to a recent study by bunq, the second largest neobank in the EU. The bank surveyed millennials and Gen Z in the Netherlands, Germany and France on their financial habits during the upcoming holidays. In total, 74% of respondents aim to limit their spending to 200 euros on Christmas and New Year’s.
Although Gen-Zs are less likely to save on food and gifts than millennials, every fourth Gen Z will still invite fewer people over for Christmas dinner this year. Gen Z are also more likely than the older generation to send a payment request to their invited guests to cover dinner costs. In total, 76% of young Europeans intend to do exactly that.
The current cost-of-living crisis is taking a great economic toll on young people. In challenging times, it’s vital to maintain financial discipline and plan ahead – modern banks can help with that thanks to automated budgeting and spending insights. Whether people celebrate the season with fewer people than last year, or at home instead of on the trip they wanted to take, holiday time is for recharging and having fun, not worrying about money admin.
More than half of young Europeans had to budget and set money aside in order to cover this Christmas and New Year’s. Unable to spend as much as they did last year, young Europeans look for ways to save: from bargain-hunting for affordable trips (74%) to buying second hand presents and making DIY gifts (49%).
In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, most (73%) European Gen Z and millennials feel pressured into spending more than they would want to on holidays, while at the same time two out of three Gen Z and millennials in the Netherlands, Germany and France are uncertain about their financial standing in the year to come.
About bunq
Founded in 2012 by serial entrepreneur Ali Niknam, bunq has brought lasting change to the European banking industry. By having its users at the heart of the business and building a product rooted in their wants and needs, bunq quickly scaled to become the second largest neobank in the EU. Serving those with an international lifestyle across the European Economic Area, bunq makes life easy for location-independent people and businesses starting from the way they manage money: how they spend, save, budget and invest.
Pioneering many things considered impossible, bunq was the first bank to get a European banking permit in over 35 years, raised the largest series A round ever secured by a European fintech (€193 million), and was the first EU neobank to achieve structural profitability at the end of 2022. On its mission to build the first global neobank for digital nomads, in April 2025, bunq announced it’s fast-tracking its entry in the US by applying for a broker-dealer license and planning to reapply for the full banking license later the same year.
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