How divided are we as a nation? Maybe how we see and celebrate Christmas can give a clear answer to that question. Should Nativity scenes be allowed in public? Should store employees wish people a Merry Christmas? Is the Christmas holiday a religious holiday or a cultural holiday? Do Americans still go to church on Christmas or Christmas Eve? The following results can be found by combining the results of several surveys and polls.
- Less than half of Americans attend church at Christmas.
- Americans are expected to spend more than $1,000 on gifts, a new high for October estimates.
- A Pew research poll found nine in ten Americans (90%) say they celebrate Christmas.
- How much do Americans like Christmas? Well, a YouGov poll found people said they do like Christmas.
Dictionaries
On my bookshelf, I have a Webster’s dictionary from 1828. When I look up the definition of Christmas it reads: “the festival of the Christian church observed annually on December 25 in memory of the birth of Christ and celebrated by a particular church service.”
The online 1913 version of Webster says, “An annual church festival (December 25) and in some States a legal holiday, in memory of the birth of Christ, often celebrated by a particular church service, and also by special gifts, greetings, and hospitality.”
The latest edition of Webster (2024) has this definition, “a Christian feast on December 25 or among some Eastern Orthodox Christians on January 7 that commemorates the birth of Christ and is usually observed as a legal holiday.”
Ipsos Poll
However, a recent Ipsos poll reveals that three-quarters of Americans agree people have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. Christians, for example, are more likely (84%) to think Americans have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas than non-religious Americans (60%). Yet people still like to celebrate Christmas. As another poll revealed, when it comes to holiday décor, nearly nine in ten (85%) Americans say they decorate their homes for the holidays.
Pew Research Center
Also, according to a Pew Research Center survey, nine in ten Americans (90%) and 95% of Christians say they celebrate Christmas. While these figures have generally been steady for years, the role of religion in Christmas celebrations appears to be declining. Today, 46% of Americans say they celebrate Christmas as primarily a religious (rather than cultural) holiday, down from 51% who said this in 2013.
Millennials (ages 28 to 43) are less likely to say they celebrate Christmas in a religious way. This is confirmed as a majority of U.S. adults (56%) also say religious aspects of Christmas are emphasized less in American society today than in the past, though relatively few are bothered by this trend.
The War on Christmas
What about the war on Christmas? Do people get offended if store employees wish them a “Happy Holidays” instead of a “Merry Christmas”? About half of Americans (52%) now say it doesn’t matter how stores greet their customers over the holidays, up from 46% in 2012. About a third (32%) choose “Merry Christmas,” which is down considerably from the 42% who said this five years ago.
Public Nativity Displays
What about school Christmas programs or public nativity displays? How do people feel about that? The Pew Research poll found that a growing number of people (26%) say religious displays should not be allowed on government property. This is up from 20% just three years prior. However, three-in-ten (29%) say these displays should be allowed only if they are accompanied by other religious symbols, such as Hanukkah candles.
Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution
Americans have long argued whether nativity scenes should be displayed on public property and if doing so violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. In 1984, a Christmas nativity scene in downtown Pawtucket, R.I., brought the issue of holiday displays to the Supreme Court for the first time. The case, Lynch v. Donnelly, involved the city’s sponsorship of an annual display of holiday decorations, which included a manger scene portraying the birth of Jesus, as well as Santa Claus, reindeer, and other figures. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Pawtucket’s display did not violate the Constitution. According to the official records, Chief Justice Warren Burger emphasized that the government has long had the authority to acknowledge religion’s role in U.S. history.
Surveys and polls show that Christmas is moving in a more secular direction. Even while two-thirds of Americans continue to say that Christian displays like nativity scenes should be permitted on government property, the number of individuals who still hold these beliefs has declined by 7 percentage points since 2014. At the same time, the number of Americans who believe no religious displays should be permitted on government property has grown from 20% to 26% over the past several years. Interestingly, only 31% of adults say they are bothered by the declining emphasis on religion in America, especially when it comes to the topic of Christmas.
Core Biblical Elements of Christmas
If we cannot agree on how Christmas should be celebrated, can we agree on the core foundational and biblical elements of Christmas? No, not really.
Pew Research has discovered only 66% of adults say they believe Jesus was born to a virgin; this is down 7% from ten years ago. Only 68% of U.S. adults now say they believe that the wise men were guided by a star and brought gifts for baby Jesus. This is also down from 7% from ten years ago. There are similar declines in those who believe that an angel of the Lord heralded Jesus’ birth and that Jesus was laid in a manger as an infant and combined just 57% of Americans, down 8% from a decade ago, now believe in all four of these elements of the Christmas story:
- The virgin birth
- The visit of the Magi
- The announcement of Jesus’ birth by an angel
- The baby Jesus lying in the manger
Sadly, not just adults do not believe in all four of those key elements of Christmas. In the last decade, the number of professing Christians who believe in all four of these elements has also dropped by 5%, with only 76% of believers holding to the truth of the biblical story. As far as age goes, Millennials, those who are 28 to 43 years old, say they are more likely to celebrate Christmas as a cultural holiday than a religious holiday.
Christmas Eve Services
What about church attendance and Christmas Eve services? One of my favorite times of the year is our candlelight Christmas Eve service. It’s great that 90%, 9 out of 10 Americans celebrate Christmas, but only half say they will attend church at Christmastime. A 2024, Lifeway Research revealed Christian pastors will usually plan four events or activities to help their churches celebrate Christmas. 81% of evangelical pastors say Christmas is or was one of their three highest attendance worship services.
To close this on a good note, research also confirms that many adults who do not typically attend church say they probably would if invited by someone they know. This allows you and me to worship Jesus this Christmas season and invite those we know and love.
Merry Christmas, and Maranatha, Lord Jesus!
