Just in time for Christmas, the Pew Research Center released information about how Americans view the holiday.
While 92% of Americans celebrate Christmas, there is considerable diversity when it comes to the basis of such celebrations:
- 51% – more of a religious holiday,
- 32% – more of a cultural holiday, and
- 9% – both/other (which includes those who celebrate but did not comment on whether they felt it was more religious or cultural).
So What?
Notably there is a generational divide. The younger the age group, the less significant the percentage who celebrate Christmas primarily as a religious holiday. More specifically, while 66% of those aged 65+ will celebrate Christmas primarily as a religious holiday only 55% of those aged 50-64 do so compared to only 50% of those aged 30-49 and just 39% of those aged 18-29.
- For you, is Christmas primarily a religious holiday, primarily a cultural holiday, or a blending of the two?
- As a religious holiday, what does Christmas mean to you?