Spending time with loved ones is the public’s favourite aspect of Christmas, while its commercialisation and cost are its most disliked elements
While eight in ten Britons (78%) have a positive view of Christmas overall and it is overwhelmingly the country’s favourite holiday, that does not mean that every aspect of the celebration is equally loved. After all, enjoying the carols and decorations doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a particular fan of figgy pudding.
To find out what the best and worst aspects of Christmas are for the British public, we asked them to tell us in their own words, with the results then categorised by YouGov’s AI-powered Topic Quantifier model.
What do Britons like the most about Christmas?
For a third of Britons (35%), spending time with loved ones is the thing they like most about Christmas – the most common answer.
The food and drink is liked most by 9% of Britons, while the festive cheer and goodwill come top for 8%. Decorations are similarly the best bit about the holiday for 7% of the public, while 4% see the exchanging of gifts as the highlight of the season.
Some Britons are a little less festive, with 10% saying their favourite thing about Christmas is simply the time off work, rather than anything specifically to do with the holiday itself, and 12% say they don’t like anything about Christmas at all.
Spending time with loved ones is the most liked thing about Christmas pretty much across the board, although women are more likely to say that it is their top element of Christmas (39%) than men (31%). It’s also a more frequent favourite for older Britons, with 41% of over 65s saying it is their favourite aspect of the season compared to 29% of 18-24 year olds.
Compared to their elders, 18-24 year olds are more likely to say the general atmosphere (16%), food and drink (15%), decorations (13%) and gift giving (8%) are the thing they like most about Christmas.
Aside from being most likely to enjoy the company of their family, older Britons are also the most likely to outright dismiss the holiday, with 19% of those aged 65 and over saying there is nothing they like about Christmas, compared to just 6-7% of the under-50 age groups.
What do Britons like the least about Christmas?
When it comes to the more negative aspects of Christmas, there are two standout issues. One in five Britons (20%) identify Christmas being too commercialised as the thing they like least about the holiday, while one in six (18%) see the festival’s cost as its biggest drawback.
Other top problems that Britons have with Christmas include the pressure of choosing presents, which is the worst thing for 7% of the public, and the busyness of the season, which 6% say is the aspect they like least. The general stress of Christmas, the festivities starting too early, the wintery weather and family tension are all the worst element of Christmas for 4% of Britons.
However, this is all a bit ‘bah humbug’ for 6% of the public, who instead say there is simply nothing wrong with Christmas at all.
As with the best things about Christmas, different age groups see the festivities a little differently. Older Britons are the most likely to describe the commercialisation of the holiday as the thing about it they like least, with 28% of over 65s identifying it as such, compared to 12% of 18-24 year olds.
The expensiveness of Christmas, though, is most likely to be a problem for 25-49 year olds, with 22% of this age group – who are the most likely to be parents to young children – calling it the aspect of Christmas they like least.
As YouGov research has previously highlighted, the seasonal stress burden is not shared equally by all Britons, with 6% of women identifying it as the worst part of Christmas, compared to 2% of men.
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