It s Christmas, not just a Holiday Season in the US, UK and Canada

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1 It s Christmas, not just a Holiday Season in the US, UK and Canada Christmas uniquely brings whole nations together for family and religious reasons Page 1 of 5 [December 23, 2013] In the US, UK and Canada over eight in ten prefer to call this time of year Christmas, rather than the more neutral Holiday Season. Having Christmas dinner and getting together with family and friends is something that will unite over eight in ten citizens in each one of these three countries. This rare display of cultural cohesion cuts across not just national but also age, gender and socioeconomic lines. The religious aspect of Christmas is personally meaningful to large numbers in all countries. A full 72% in the US, 51% in Canada and 40% in the UK will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 th. Large swaths of each nation will go so far as to attend special Christmas services (40% US, 32% Canada, 25% UK). KEY FINDINGS Eight in ten or more prefer Christmas over Holiday Season : 80% US, 83% Canada, 92% UK. Eight in ten or more in all 3 countries will get together with family and friends and have Christmas dinner on December. Religious aspect of Christmas personally meaningful for 72% in US, 51% in Canada and 39% in the UK. More Americans and Canadians will say grace than go shopping for Boxing Day bargins (59% grace, 12% Boxing Day bargains in US, 39% grace and 37% Boxing Day sales in Canada). And even in the UK the home of Boxing Day the numbers are relatively close (20% grace vs. 29% Boxing Day). Christmas stands out as a uniquely unifying holiday in these countries, says Angus Reid, Chairman, Angus Reid Global. The fact that Christmas brings so many people together without losing its strong religious roots make it all the more unusual in our often fractured and divisive cultures. Backgrounder and detailed tables are found at the end of this release. Media contact: Andrew Grenville: andrew.grenville@angus-reid.com More will say grace at Christmas dinner than go shopping for Boxing Day sales in the USA and Canada. Angus Reid Global conducted an online survey among 1010 Americans, 998 UK adults and 1508 Canadians who are members of the SpringBoard US, SpringBoard UK and the Angus Reid Forums between Dec 9 and 11. The margin of error which measures sampling variability is +/- 3.1% in the US and UK and 2.5% in Canada.

2 Page 2 of 5 Angus Reid Global is a public affairs practice of Vision Critical, headed by Dr. Angus Reid, Canada s best known and longest practicing pollster. He s spent more than four decades asking questions about what people feel, how they think and who they will vote for. He is supported by a team of practitioners conducting high quality research for corporations, governments and non-profit organizations. Visit the website: Learn about our electoral record Follow on Twitter About Vision Critical Vision Critical is a global research and technology firm that creates software and services solutions for over 600 clients, including one third of the world s top 100 brands. The company has offices across North America, Europe and Australia as well as a Global Partner Program that provides other research companies and consultants with access to top-of-the-line technology. Its Sparq product is the most widely adopted community panel platform on the planet. Visit the website: We are nearing December 25 and the holiday season. Which of the following names do you prefer for this time of year? Christmas 83% 80% 92% Holiday Season 17% 20% 8% Do you feel the way our country celebrates December 25 th is? Too commercial 83% 83% 84% Too religious 13% 15% 14%

3 Page 3 of 5 Do you feel the way our country celebrates December 25 th is? Is the religious aspect of Christmas meaningful to you personally? Will you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 th? Were you raised in a Christian household that attended church 51% 70% 39% 51% 72% 40% 64% 66% 48% How often do you attend religious services? Weekly or more 13% 28% 11% Once or twice a month 5% 9% 5% Less often 44% 38% 41% Never 38% 25% 43%

4 Page 4 of 5 Which Christmas or Holiday songs do people prefer? Carols 54% 52% 49% Silent Night 15% 17% 17% Hark the Herald Angles Sing 15% 9% 13% Joy to the World 13% 16% 8% O Come All Ye Faithful 11% 10% 11% Holiday Songs 46% 48% 51% We Wish You a Merry Christmas 12% 12% 12% White Christmas 12% 13% 16% Frosty the Snowman 11% 12% 10% Jingle Bells 11% 11% 13%

5 Page 5 of 5 Which of the following do you plan on doing this December: Have a Christmas dinner 94% 86% 90% Get together with family and/or friends on Christmas day 92% 83% 85% Exchange gifts 88% 81% 89% Put up lights or specially decorate your home 80% 68% 77% Have a Christmas tree 77% 73% 77% Go to a party to celebrate the season 67% 52% 42% Sing Christmas carols 46% 35% 39% Say table grace at a Christmas dinner 39% 59% 20% Shop for Boxing Day sales 37% 12% 29% Attend a special Christmas service 32% 40% 25% Attend a regular religious service 27% 41% 20% Work on Christmas day 8% 10% 8% Donate food or money to a food bank 60% 49% 26% Donate food or money or gifts to a charity-other than a food bank-that helps the poor during the holidays Give a gift of a charitable donation to an aid organization, such as from World Vision's or Plan's gift catalogue 60% 53% 31% 28% 33% 20%