Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, might be one of the most iconic parts of Christmas, but the name used for the artist formerly known as Saint Nicholas is once again in flux.
Britons are evenly split 46% to 46% on which name they would typically use for the jolly Christmas gift-giver, with this representing a significant shift since 2017, when Britons opted for Father Christmas over Santa Claus by 51% to 36%.
Older Britons tend to use the term Father Christmas, with twice as many over 65s favouring the traditional English term (62%) to Santa Claus (31%), with 50-64 year olds also preferring the former by 56% to 37%.
By contrast, Santa Claus or Santa is favoured by younger Britons, with 18-34 year olds using the term by a margin of 64% to 29%, and 25-49 year olds by 53% to 39%.
But it’s not purely a generational split. More than eight in ten Scots (84%) would typically say Santa, with just 10% normally using Father Christmas.
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Photo: Getty
