Marist poll finds Birth of Jesus central to meaning of holiday for most Americans

Contact: Andrew Walther, Knights of Columbus, 203-824-5412, Andrew.walther@kofc.org  

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 23, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- By 20 percentage points, a majority of Americans prefer "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays." A strong majority also associates the meaning of the holiday with the birth of Jesus, according to a recent Marist poll sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

While almost six in 10 (57 percent) say they prefer "Merry Christmas," fewer than four in 10 (37 percent) prefer "Happy Holidays."

"The vast majority of Americans celebrate Christmas and prefer 'Merry Christmas' to a generic greeting," said Knights CEO Carl Anderson. "Celebrating Christmas is a reminder that Christ came into the world out of love for us and to teach us to love one another."

In fact, the Marist poll found that nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) Americans strongly or very strongly identify the birth of Jesus with the meaning of Christmas.

And almost two-thirds (63 percent) of Americans think the meaning of Christmas is strongly or very strongly linked with attending church services.

The survey of 1,005 adults was conducted by the Marist Poll and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus from December 1st through 9th. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the continental United States were interviewed on either landline or mobile phones using live interviewers. Results are statistically significant within ±3.1 percentage points. The error margin increases for cross-tabulations.