Six in ten Britons who celebrate Christmas don’t consider celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ an important part of the festive celebrations
As Britons get set to celebrate Christmas up and down the country, which aspects of the festive season matter the most to them? A new YouGov survey has revealed that, for 95% of Britons who celebrate Christmas, spending time with family is the most important aspect of the festivities, including 72% who say it is very important to them.
As well as spending time with loved ones, eight in ten Britons who celebrate Christmas (81%) also find giving presents to be important and three-quarters say both having time off work (76%) and socialising with friends and colleagues (75%) are important features of Christmas.
Although giving presents is an important part of Christmas for 81% of Britons who celebrate the yuletide period, only 38% say they consider receiving presents an important aspect of Christmas.
Twice as many 18 to 24 year-olds than people aged 65 and over consider receiving presents important (59% vs 31%). One in five of those aged 18 to 24 (21%) say receiving presents is a “very important” aspect of Christmas compared to 7-11% of all older age groups.
Only a third of Britons who celebrate Christmas say it’s important to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ
Christmas is one of the most important religious holidays in Christianity but six in ten Britons who celebrate Christmas (61%) don’t consider celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ an important part of the festive period.
When it comes to the true meaning of Christmas there is a generational split. In the 18 to 24 age group, only 20% of those celebrating Christmas believe it’s important to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. At the other end of the scale, more than half of those aged 65 and over (54%) say it’s important to remember the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas.
It’s also not great news for King Charles III as he prepares to make his debut Christmas speech to the nation that seven in ten Britons who celebrate Christmas (70%) don’t consider watching or listening to the King’s speech an important part of Christmas Day. That includes 44% who say it’s “not important at all”.
Only 16% of those aged 18 to 24 who celebrate Christmas think the King’s Speech is an important aspect of their festivities compared to four in ten aged 65 and over (40%).
A Christmas dinner is nearly 22% more expensive this year than in 2021, which could pose a challenge for another aspect of Christmas that is important to many who celebrate. Eating a lot of food is another popular feature of the festive holiday, particularly for young people. Three-quarters of Britons aged 18 to 24 who celebrate Christmas (74%) say eating a lot is an important part of the festive celebrations compared to just a quarter of those aged 65 and over (24%).
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