Christmas Shopping Brings Holiday Cheer

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- 'Tis the season to be jolly … or completely frazzled by interminable shopping lists, crowded stores, and hunting down a parking spot at the mall. Actually, most Americans seem to be coping quite well with the holiday hullabaloo, even though the vast majority says Christmas is too commercialized. 

About 4 in 10 Americans regard the holidays as a personally stressful period, and a similar number say they feel more stress during these weeks than at other times of the year. However, the majority (62%) experience, at its worst, only minor stress. Most Americans describe holiday shopping as a joyful experience they look forward to.

Joy to the Malls

Almost everyone agrees that Christmas is too commercialized: 85% say it is, while 14% disagree. However, only a small fraction is greatly bothered by this. Overall, fewer than 3 in 10 Americans (28%) are bothered a great deal, while another 37% are bothered a moderate amount. One-third either are not bothered or don't believe it is too commercialized.

Despite the hassles and protestations about commercialization, Americans still describe holiday shopping as more of a "joyful experience" that they look forward to than as a "chore" they have to put up with (55% vs. 40%, respectively). Women are a bit more likely than men to find joy in shopping.

Parents and Women Feel the Most Pressure

Overall, 38% of Americans describe the holidays as very or somewhat stressful for them. However, 62% say it is either not too stressful or not stressful at all.

Holiday pressure is particularly bothersome for parents of children under the age of 18. One-half of this group say they find the holidays very or somewhat stressful, compared with only one-third of adults without young children.

And although women find shopping joyful, the holiday season is more stressful for women than for men: 45% of women vs. 31% of men call it very or somewhat stressful. The pattern of being somewhat stressed is seen among younger women (47%) and older women (43%) alike. Among men, those aged 18 to 49 are somewhat afflicted (36%), while those 50 and older are largely unfazed by it (only 23% are stressed).

Stress is a year-round phenomenon, so to some degree the holiday season offers more of the same. However, when asked specifically whether they feel more stress, about the same amount of stress, or less stress around the holidays than at other times of the year, 42% of Americans say they feel more stress. A handful say they feel less stress, while 39% say it is about the same.

The Hazards of Holiday Shopping

When asked specifically about the amount of stress holiday shopping causes them, 13% of Americans say it is very stressful, and another 30% call it somewhat stressful. However, the majority indicate it is not particularly stressful.

Once again, parents of children under 18 years are under heavy strain during the holidays. A majority of this group (51%) say they are stressed about holiday shopping, compared with 38% of those without young children. Also, women appear to bear a greater share of the holiday shopping burden than men; 51% of women say holiday shopping is very or somewhat stressful for them, compared with only 34% of men.

Survey Methods

Results for this panel study are based on telephone interviews with 1,003 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Nov. 27-29, 2006. Respondents were randomly drawn from Gallup's nationally representative household panel, which was originally recruited through random selection methods. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

For results based on the 507 national adults in the Form A half-sample and 496 national adults in the Form B half-sample, the maximum margins of sampling error are ±5 percentage points.

For results based on the sample of 881 adults who say the Christmas holiday is too commercialized, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

11. Do you, personally, think the Christmas holiday is too commercialized, or not?

12. (Asked of those who say the Christmas holiday is too commercialized) How much does this bother you -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or not at all?

BASED ON 881 RESPONDENTS WHO SAY CHRISTMAS IS TOO COMMERCIALIZED

COMBINED RESPONSES (Q.11-12): BASED ON FULL SAMPLE

13. Generally speaking, how stressful are the holidays for you, personally -- very stressful, somewhat stressful, not too stressful, or not stressful at all?

BASED ON 507 NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A

14. Generally speaking, do you feel -- [ROTATED: more stress, about the same amount, or less stress] -- around the holidays than at other times of the year? 

BASED ON 507 NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A

15. Generally speaking, how stressful is the experience of holiday shopping for you, personally -- very stressful, somewhat stressful, not too stressful, or not stressful at all?

BASED ON  496 NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B

16. Do you consider shopping for Christmas presents -- [ROTATED: more of a chore you have to put up with (or), more of a joyful experience you look forward to]?

BASED ON 496 NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B