Survey finds most Americans celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday


Despite the commercial push to say “happy holidays” during the Christmas season, a new study finds that the majority of the United States celebrates Dec. 25 as a religious event.


Rasmussen Reports released a study on Dec. 9 which claims that a whopping 92 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas, and of that percentage, 65 percent regard it as a religious holiday.


The survey notes that although most Americans are not offended if someone wishes them a “Merry Christmas,” they in turn will say “happy holidays” rather than risk offending others.


The report – which surveyed 1,000 people nationwide via telephone on Dec. 4 and 5 – also shows that couples who are married with children at home are more likely to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday than those who are unmarried and without children.


Evangelical Christians, as well as those who attend church at least once a week, are also more inclined to celebrate Christmas religiously. Only 28 percent of those surveyed said they celebrate Christmas as a secular event.


Of the six percent of Americans who do not celebrate Christmas, 25 percent said they celebrate some other holiday, while 66 percent said they do not celebrate any holiday this time of year.
The study also notes that 68 percent of U.S. citizens will put up a Christmas tree this year and 60 percent plan to decorate their houses for the holiday.


Americans also rated Christmas as the nation's most important holiday followed by the Fourth of July.