Although 73% of U.S. adults believe, presumably by faith, that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, including 32% of those with no religious affiliation, only half of respondents consider Christmas more than a cultural holiday, complete with Santa Claus.
"Younger adults are less likely than older adults to see Christmas a religious rather than cultural holiday, they're less likely to say they will attend Christmas services and they are less likely to believe in the virgin birth."For background, read Poll Shows Most are Disgusted with American Morals, Yet Favor Sin
-- Greg Smith, director of U.S. religion surveys at the Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Project
Also read Ultrasound of Unborn Jesus: Pro-life Focus on Christmas
In addition, read the latest news of the secular rebellion against Christmas.
-- From "Christmas is more a cultural than religious event for one-third of Americans, new survey finds" by The Associated Press 12/18/13
A poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center found only half of Americans consider the holiday religious, even though nearly three-quarters said they believed Jesus was born to a virgin. One-third consider Christmas a cultural celebration.
Church attendance will be higher than usual during the holiday. But the survey found fewer adults are holding to the tradition of attending worship services. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they attended Christmas services as a child. Only 54 percent will do so this year.
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From "Christmas in America: Belief in the Virgin birth and visits from Santa" by Cathy Lynn Grossman, Religion News Service, Washington Post 12/17/13
Overall, 31 percent of U.S. adults play up the Santa role in their holiday season, according to a survey released Wednesday (Dec. 18) by the Pew Research Center.
The survey finds that 73 percent of adults believe Jesus was born of a virgin — the act of God at the theological heart of the Christmas story, the birth of the Christ child.
That belief is held overwhelmingly by Christians of all stripes and even by some people with no formal religion: 32 percent of “nones” say they, too, believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus.
Women are more certain of this than men, though: 78 percent of women and 69 percent of men say they believe it.
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From "Jesus ahead of Santa Claus in Pew Center survey of Americans' Christmas values (poll)" by Kay Campbell, The Birmingham News 12/18/13
While 72 percent of the 2,001 adults polled in representative samples from across the U.S. during Dec. 3 to 8 said their families pretended Santa Claus visited their home when they were growing up, only 31 percent said they still perpetuate the Santa Claus story in their own households -- although the rate remains at 69 percent of those with little kids still in the house. So while Santa is losing his grip, Jesus is, barely, hanging on. Of the 92 percent of Americans who say they celebrate Christmas, just 51 percent say that Christmas remains more of a religious holiday than a cultural holiday for them.
But then, the observance of Christmas activities in general is showing consistent, if slight, declines, according to the survey, which asked people what they typically did for Christmas as a child and what they plan to do this year.
Attending a religious service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day is decreasing from 69 percent to 54 percent, mirroring an overall decline in religious participation in the United States. But Christmas Eve or Day attendance is still double the 36 percent of Americans who say they typically attend a religious service during an average week. And while caroling, in the surveyed people’s memories, was never a common practice, from a remembered 36 percent who went to sing to someone, only 16 percent of people will carry songs into the streets this year.
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From "Christmas A Non-Religious Holiday For Half Of Americans, Pew Survey Finds" by Jaweed Kaleem, Huffington Post 12/18/13
At 82 percent, evangelical protestants were most likely to see Christmas as a religious holiday, following by white Catholics (66 percent), black Protestants (60 percent) and white mainline protestants (56 percent). About half of Hispanic Catholics said it was a religious holiday.
The Public Religion Research Institute survey also found Americans largely prefer businesses to use the phrase "happy holidays" or "season's greetings" instead of "merry Christmas."
Pew found that religious and non-religious Americans largely celebrate the holiday the same. . . .
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Apparently only a minority of Americans who see Santa at the mall ask, "Where's the Line to See Jesus?" (music video):
