28 December 2007
The age of the thank you note might have passed, with the news that Britons prefer to use their mobile phones for this purpose.
New research from Saga shows that the mobile phone revolution has spread to the over-50s, with 2.3 million using text messaging or emails to thank friends and relatives for their Christmas gifts.
Only 2% more of Britain's elderly (13% to 11%) say that they prefer to give and receive a handwritten note rather than an electronic message.
Nevertheless, face-to-face contact clearly remains the favoured way for the group to say thank you, with 72% preferring personal contact rather than sending a message of any kind.
What's more, despite their growth in popularity, mobile phone firms still have some way to go before the text message becomes the most popular way of saying thank you.
Just 2% of those polled said that texts and emails were their favourite way of being thanked.
Saga's research was based on a series of questions the firm posed to its Populus panel, which it says is the largest discussion panel yet convened among Britain's over-50s.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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