Western Union Surveys Consumers

What's the first thing you'd do?

Well, that depends on who you are and where you live. Older adults (ages 55 and over) and younger adults (between the ages of 18-24) want to spread the wealth by helping out their family members, while middle-aged adults (ages 25 through 34) are more likely to keep their winnings close to the nest by purchasing a new home or paying off their current mortgage.

Consumers living in the Northeast and Midwest indicated a more significant urge to splurge on a new set of wheels, while respondents living in the Western U.S. preferred to invest in a new house or pay off their mortgage.

Where would you go - Hamburg or Honolulu?

Nearly six in ten adults - 58 percent - would travel outside the U.S. for their first trip compared to 32 percent who would choose to travel stateside. Of this 58 percent, younger adults aged 18-24 were more likely than other age groups to want to channel their adventurous spirit by traveling beyond U.S. borders. Additionally, Americans living in Western states continue to demonstrate a pioneering spirit and are more likely to want to travel outside of the U.S. than those in the South, Northeast and Midwest. Nearly one quarter of respondents indicating the desire to travel outside of the United States chose Europe as their first destination. Hawaii was the top travel destination of the 32 percent of adults who preferred to travel within the U.S., followed by Alaska, Florida and California.

Giving Back

The survey revealed that the more money respondents made, the less likely they were to give it away, with females being more likely to donate than male respondents. Respondents indicating a propensity toward charitable giving tended to skew toward an older, female and Hispanic demographic. Overall, more than half of those surveyed would donate anywhere from 10 to 25 percent of their winnings to charity.

Everybody Loves Oprah

Transcending all demographics, Oprah Winfrey is the favorite multi-millionaire celebrity across every walk of life and is particularly popular among females. Bill Gates and Tiger Woods are neck-and-neck for second favorite, with 17 percent and 15 percent respectively, with Michael Jordan coming in as favorite among 12 percent of the adults surveyed. Despite Tiger's youth appeal, adults over the age of 65 were more likely to choose him as their favorite, while respondents age 18-24 were more likely to declare the more seasoned Michael Jordan as the favorite.

"Who ya gonna call?"

Nearly half of the survey respondents would call their spouse or significant other first if they won a million dollars, while only a meager one percent felt it necessary to inform their boss of the good news. Females are more likely than males to call their kids first, while males are more likely than females to call their father first. Adults in the West are more likely to call their mother first than those in the Northeast and South. Additionally, the majority of respondents indicated that the person they'd call first is also the person they'd be most likely to share their winnings with.

"If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a ..."

When asked what they'd buy that special someone they planned on sharing their winnings with, one third of adults chose a house or property. Another third would buy that person the car of their dreams. Five percent would pay for education and another five percent would pay for a vacation or trip. An optimistic one percent of respondents indicated they'd purchase for that special person the one thing people say money can't buy - happiness.