A study by Barnardo's has revealed that 20% of adults bin unwanted gifts as they feel too ashamed to donate them to charity

One in five people feel too guilty to give their unwanted Christmas presents to charity, a survey has found.

While Santa will be bringing many children the presents they’ve been dreaming of this Christmas, just under half (47%) of adults say they have received gifts they don’t want and will never use, according to new research by Barnardo’s.

The survey also revealed that the majority of these gifts are left gathering dust, with more than a third of UK adults (36%) saying they put these gifts in a cupboard and never use them. One in ten (11%) people who didn’t donate their gift to charity claimed it’s because they hang on to them in order to pretend to the person that gave them the present that they use the item, while 20% simply feel too guilty to pass on their unwanted gifts.

In a YouGov survey of adults who receive gifts at Christmas, 47% said they received unwanted gifts last year, with novelty items such as humorous gifts being the main culprit for 59% of people.

The results come as Barnardo’s launches a new campaign asking people to donate their unwanted festive gifts to their local Barnardo’s charity shop. The proceeds from the sale of good quality, unused Christmas gifts are a vital source of income for the charity’s work supporting vulnerable children across the UK.

Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said: “We’ve all received gifts that end up at the back of a cupboard. But this year, instead of holding onto gifts that you’ll never use, we’re asking people to donate them to their local Barnardo’s shop.

“Donating to our stores means somebody else can find joy in our unwanted gifts.

“It also helps Barnardo’s to bring care, hope and love to vulnerable children across the UK, at Christmas and all year round.”