Gallup Reporter Resources: Christmas

Dec. 12, 2022

This is Gallup Reporter Resources, a comprehensive compilation of all Gallup findings on the issue of the day, edited by Justin McCarthy.

Not a subscriber? Sign up today.

Gallup has routinely polled about Christmas over the decades -- what it means to people, how they celebrate, what they spend each year and more.

News reporting like yours is critical to the world's understanding of how Americans observe the holiday season.

We're here to help and have a variety of resources available to enrich your coverage through historical findings in the U.S. since 1949, as well as global insights on charitable giving.

What is Americans' relationship with Christmas?

Nearly all Americans celebrate Christmas.

Gallup's last estimate in 2019 found that 93% of Americans report celebrating Christmas, in line with the level Gallup has recorded since 1994.

The percentage of Americans who celebrate Christmas exceeds the percentage who identify as Christian.

Secular celebrations of Christmas have become more common in the U.S.

Also in 2019, Gallup found that the percentage describing their Christmas celebrations as "strongly religious" had dropped to 35%, down from about half in Gallup's prior measures in 2005 and 2010.

Conversely, among those who celebrate Christmas, 26% say their celebrations are "not too religious." This represents an increase of 10 percentage points over the past decade -- and mirrors the percentage of Americans who say religion is "not very important" in their life.

Christmas is observed almost universally by Catholics and Protestants, with at least 80% of each group acknowledging a religious aspect of their celebrations; however, Protestants are 13 points more likely than Catholics to say Christmas is a strongly religious holiday for them. Additionally, more than 80% of people with no religious affiliation celebrate Christmas, with about two in 10 ascribing at least some religious significance to it.

Those who self-identify as conservatives are about three times as likely as self-described liberals to have strongly religious Christmas celebrations. While moderates' celebrations are slightly less religious than average, there is no statistical difference in their preferences from national trends.

Christmas is often one of the happiest days of the year for Americans.

Gallup previously tracked a series of emotions in the U.S. throughout the year, and found that Christmas often ranks among the top of the list of days when Americans reported experiencing the most happiness and enjoyment and without a lot of stress and worry.

In 2010, 2011 and 2012, Christmas Day was the happiest day of the year. It ranked No. 3 in 2013 -- edged out by Thanksgiving and Memorial Day that year -- as well as in 2014, when Thanksgiving and Independence Day topped the list. No measure exists for 2009, as a major snowstorm that affected much of the country closed Gallup's interviewing centers.

A 2005 poll found that half of the U.S. described Christmas as "the best time of the year" (15%) or "a great time" (35%). An additional 35% settled on "a good time." Much smaller percentages were indifferent to Christmas (8%) or said it was "a bad time" (3%).

A 1949 poll found that what Americans liked most about Christmas was the happy spirit it gives people (33%) as well as the experience for children and seeing them happy (16%).

What does holiday spending look like this year?

A new Gallup poll finds Americans planning to spend an average $867 on Christmas gifts this season.

Gallup's annual readings of the amount Americans plan to spend on gifts cannot be used to forecast precisely how much holiday retail sales will change year to year, but they are usually indicative of the direction of change.

In October, Gallup found that the amount Americans intended to spend on Christmas gifts this year was the highest recorded in three years, since before the pandemic.

U.S. consumers are willing to pay more for goods if a company is known for making a positive difference.

The Bentley-Gallup Force for Good study found that most Americans are willing to pay a premium for products from companies that have a reputation for doing good. Majorities said they would be willing to pay extra for a simple consumer good -- a T-shirt -- if the company that made it was known for making a positive difference in four specific areas: having a positive impact on the local community (73%), treating employees well (72%), having a positive environmental impact (63%) and contributing to charities (60%).

Young adults and women were particularly more likely to say they would pay extra for products made by companies that had a positive impact on the environment and on the local community.

The world is more charitable, more helpful and more likely to volunteer since the pandemic.

The world set new records for generosity in 2021. More people than at any point in the past 15 years reported donating money, volunteering their time and helping strangers in need.

Nearly two in three people worldwide (63%) said that in the past month, they had helped a stranger in need. More than one in three (37%) had donated money to a charity, and nearly three in 10 (28%) had volunteered their time to an organization.

Projected to the world's entire adult population, this means that billions of people were helping others last year: over 3 billion helped a stranger in need, about 2 billion donated money, and about 1.5 billion volunteered their time.

The U.S. ranked among the most generous countries on all three measures, including helping a stranger (80%), donating money to a charity (61%) and volunteering time to an organization (37%).

Access these and other global statistics with Gallup Analytics. Contact mediainquiry@gallup.com to learn more.

Read/Listen to additional analyses on the holidays:

  

  

The Gallup Vault: In 1989, at-home holiday activities were the most popular, including listening to Christmas music and decorating the tree.

More from the Gallup Vault:

• 1950: 'White Christmas' Crooner Led 1950 Singer Poll
• 2005: "Happy Holidays" Rings Hollow for Most Americans
• 2008: A Bleak First Look at Christmas Spending