Most Americans believe that most people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, according to a new poll.
Forty-two percent of Americans overall strongly agree that Americans have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas and 33% said they somewhat agree, according to a nationally representative Ipsos poll of 1,023 adults conducted in December 9-11 using KnowledgePanel, with a sampling margin. error of +/- 3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Only 6% strongly disagreed with the statement and 10% somewhat disagreed.
Among those surveyed, Christians were the strongest group stating that the purpose of Christmas has been forgotten, with 84% overall saying they agree with the opinion.
REACHING THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS
In the traditional Christmas nativity scene of Neapolitan origin from the 19th century, several figures are shown that represent a scene of the birth of Christ.
(Atilano Garcia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Of these Christians, 50% said they totally agree and 34% said they somewhat agree. Only 4% and 9% of Christians said they strongly disagree or somewhat disagree, respectively.
Sixty percent of non-religious Americans also believe that many have missed the true meaning of Christmas.
The belief was more widespread among Republicans, with 88% agreeing compared to 66% for Democrats.
A Christian worshiper prays after lighting a candle on Christmas Eve at the Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Saturday, December 24, 2016.
(AP Photo/Majdi Mohamed)
Age also played a role in how strongly people agreed with this sentiment. Eighty-one percent of those aged 50 and over agreed that most people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, while 68% of those aged 18-24 and 66% of those between the ages of 25 and 34 agreed.
In the group of participants from 35 to 49 years old, 72% agreed.
CARDINAL DOLAN COMMENTS ON NEW POLL: 84% BELIEVE THE ‘TRUE MEANING’ OF CHRISTMAS IS ‘FORGOTTEN’
The Adoration of the Shepherds
(iStock)
The survey also addressed Americans’ views on other Christmas-related topics, such as Christmas decorations and music.
According to the survey, 85% of Americans decorate their homes for the holiday season and 41% remove their decorations during the first week of January. 48% of respondents think decorations should not be left past the first week of January, while 23% believe they should be removed before the end of the month.
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A majority (87%) agreed that Christmas music should start after Thanksgiving, and 54% could name a Christmas song they found annoying. The spot for Most Annoying Christmas Song went to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at 12%.
