Contact: Joseph Cullen,
203-800-4923,
joseph.cullen@kofc.org;
Andrew Walther,
203-824-5412,
andrew.walther@kofc.org; both with Knights of Columbus

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 22, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- By more than 20 percentage points (59 to 36 percent) a majority of Americans prefer the greeting "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays," according to a new Knights of Columbus-Marist poll.

*Results do not add up to 100 due to rounding

The nearly 6 in 10 (59 percent) who prefer Merry Christmas is slightly higher than last year's 57 percent.

How the survey was conducted:

This survey of 1,074 adults was conducted November 6th through November 9th, 2017 by The Marist Poll. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the contiguous United States were contacted on landline or mobile numbers and interviewed in English by telephone using live interviewers. The results were balanced to reflect the 2013 American Community Survey 1-year estimates for age, gender, income, race, and region.  Results are statistically significant within ±3.0 percentage points. The error margin increases for cross-tabulations.

The K of C was founded in 1882 by Venerable Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest, in New Haven, Connecticut. The organization was formed to provide charitable outreach and care for the financial well-being of Catholic families, focusing on the protection of widows and orphans, and on strengthening the faith of its members. It has grown to include 1.9 million members worldwide.

The Knights set a new all-time record for charitable donations in 2016, with more than $177.5 million in donations and more than 75 million hours of service valued at $1.8 billion.