What's more, a day's work and looking after crying babies are also found to be less stressful than the annual trek around the shops. Three in ten people find Christmas shopping stressful and less than one in five look forward to shopping for gifts in the lead up to the festive season. The survey of over 2000 adults nationwide, commissioned by DealTime.co.uk (a comparison shopping service), finds that young people are most likely to wish that they could do their shopping without leaving the house, indicating that they are likely to be most receptive to online shopping. However, while the older generation dislikes Christmas shopping most, they still prefer to visit the shops. Crowded shops, long queues and parking problems are the most frequently cited reasons for the build up of anxiety. Doing the Christmas shopping before the December rush can ease the stress and it seems that shoppers learn with experience. Those aged 15 to 24 are the least likely to shop early to avoid the crowds (28%), while those aged 55+ are the most likely (40%). Not surprisingly, it is the shoppers who spend least at Christmas that shop for the shortest period. More than twice as many women look forward to Christmas shopping than men (26% versus 11%). But most women seem to be in luck as the research finds that one third of men, compared to one quarter of women, are much more likely to spend over £100 on the person closest to them. Around two-thirds of the people surveyed would rather spend their time with friends and family, if someone would do their shopping for them. Deciding what to buy for family, friends and loved ones can add to the pressure. More than half of the public has difficulty choosing gifts and this adds to the stress. Thankfully, only one in 20 say that their partner never buys them what they want for Christmas. A nationally representative sample of 2,008 British adults aged 15+ were interviewed face-to-face between 26 and 30 October 2000. Results were weighted to reflect national population profile.