While half of Canadians expect a relatively easy-going December, three-in-ten believe this time of the year will bring tension, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 50% of Canadians say they expect the current holiday season to be “more fun than stressful”, down seven points since a similar survey conducted in 2018.
Conversely, 30% of Canadians (+5) believe the holiday season will be more stressful than fun, and 20% are undecided.
“More than one third of Canadians aged 35-to-54 (36%) are foreseeing more tension than entertainment this month,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “British Columbia is ahead of all other regions on the expectations of a fun holiday season (60%), while Alberta and Atlantic Canada have the lowest numbers (45% and 44% respectively).”
Across the country, 65% of Canadians (-9 since 2018) say “Merry Christmas” is their preferred greeting for the season, while 18% (+4) say “Happy Holidays” is their favourite.
“Merry Christmas” remains extremely popular with Canadians aged 55 and over (73%), residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (75%) and Conservative Party voters in this year’s federal election (also 75%).
Conversely, the groups that express the highest penchant for “Happy Holidays” are Canadians aged 18-to-34 (26%) and Quebecers (31%).
There is a sizeable change in the way Canadians are feeling about spirituality compared to 2018. Across the country, 48% of Canadians claim that religion is “very important” or “moderately important” in their daily lives—a 10-point increase since 2018.
Results are based on an online study conducted from December 2 to December 6, 2019, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada.
