Spending Time with Friends and Family is What Majority Look Forward to This Holiday Season

Spending Time with Friends and Family is What Majority Look Forward to This Holiday Season

Rudolph edges out Charlie Brown as favorite animated holiday special

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- When thinking about the upcoming holiday season, a large majority (71%) of U.S. adults say they most look forward to spending time with their family and friends. Holiday dinners and parties (9%), watching television specials and hearing holiday songs (5%), searching for perfect gifts (3%), and getting presents (2%) are all further down on the list of what adults most look forward to during the holiday season.

These are the results of a Harris Poll of 2,429 U.S. adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive(R) between November 13 and 20, 2006.

Notably, the older one is, the more likely they are to say that they most look forward to spending time with friends and family for the holidays. Almost three-quarters (74%) of Baby Boomers (those aged 42 to 60) and 76 percent of Matures (those 61 and older) say spending time with friends and family is the one thing they most look forward to for the holidays. The youngest age group, Echo Boomers (those aged 18 to 29), are more likely than the other groups to say that getting presents is what they are looking forward to this holiday season, although this is low on everyone's list (7% of Echo Boomers vs. 2% of Gen Xers aged 30 to 41; less than 1% of Baby Boomers and no Matures).

We also asked adults, regardless of how they personally feel, if they think that most people feel the holiday season is a time for loved ones and traditions or a time to receive presents and do a lot of shopping. Two in five (41%) adults believe most people think it is a time for loved ones and traditions, compared to just over one-quarter (27%) who believes most people fall into the commercialism of the season, thinking of presents and shopping. One-third (32%) believes most people feel it is both equally.

Animated television specials and seasonal movies are an added bonus each December. When asked what their favorite holiday animated special is, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (26%) just edges out "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (24%). This is closely followed by one in five (21%) who says their favorite is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Further down the list are "Frosty the Snowman" (8%) and "The Year without a Santa Claus" (3%), while 19 percent says none of these are a favorite. Men and women differ on favorite animated special, as more women (29%) take a shine to Rudolph while 28 percent of men lean towards Charlie Brown.

There is also a close race for favorite when it comes to holiday movies. Just under one-quarter (23%) say "Miracle on 34th Street" is their favorite movie, closely followed by 21 percent those who cite "It's A Wonderful Life" (21%) and "A Christmas Story" (20%). Rounding out the list are the more recent movies, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (12%) and "The Santa Clause" (11%), while 13 percent say none of these is a favorite. Not surprisingly, there is a generational difference with regard to favorite holiday movies. Over one-third (37%) of Matures and 29 percent of Baby Boomers say "Miracle on 34th Street" is their favorite holiday movie. For the younger generations, "A Christmas Story" comes out on top with 24 percent of Echo Boomers and 30 percent of Gen Xers citing the story of Ralphie and his Christmas wish for a BB gun as their favorite holiday movie.

Table 1

WHAT PEOPLE MOST LOOK FORWARD TO DURING THE Holiday season "Thinking of the upcoming holiday season, what is the one thing you most look

forward to?"
Base: All Adults

Generation
Echo Baby
Total Boomers Gen X Boomers Matures
(18-29) (30-41) (42-60) (61+)
% % % % %
Spending time with
family and friends 71 63 69 74 76
Holiday dinners
and parties 9 11 10 8 7
Watching television
specials and hearing
holiday songs on the
radio 5 4 3 6 5
Searching for perfect
gifts for people 3 5 5 2 2
Getting presents 2 7 2 * -
Other 10 10 11 10 10

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
*Less Than 0.5%
- Indicates no response

Table 2
WHAT MOST PEOPLE THINK OF THE HOLIDAYS

"Regardless of how you personally feel, do you think most people today feel the holiday season is a time to be with the ones they love and celebrate their

traditions or a time to receive presents and do a lot of shopping?"
Base: All Adults
Total
%
Time to be with the ones they love 41
Time to receive presents 27
Both equally 32

Table 3
Favorite ANIMATED Holiday TV special
"Which of these is your favorite holiday animated TV special?"
Base: All Adults

Total Men Women
% % %
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 26 23 29
A Charlie Brown Christmas 24 28 20
How the Grinch Stole Christmas 21 20 21
Frosty the Snowman 8 6 10
The Year Without a Santa Claus 3 1 4
None of these 19 23 16

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Table 4
Favorite Holiday MOVIE
"Which of these is your favorite holiday movie?"
Base: All Adults

Generation
Echo Baby
Total Boomers Gen X Boomers Matures
(18-29) (30-41) (42-60) (61+)
% % % % %
Miracle on 34th Street 23 10 11 29 37
It's a Wonderful Life 21 12 16 27 27
A Christmas Story 20 24 30 16 12
National Lampoon's
Christmas Vacation 12 20 17 8 4
The Santa Clause 11 16 15 10 5
None of these 13 18 11 10 15

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Methodology

The Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between November 13 and 20, 2006 among 2,429 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, non-response (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 2,429 adults one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 2 percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

J28940
Q 750, 755, 760, 765

The Harris Poll(R) #86, December 5, 2006
By Regina Corso, Director, The Harris Poll

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://go.hpolsurveys.com/HarrisPoll.

Press Contact:
Michelle Soto
Harris Interactive
585-214-7665

Source: Harris Interactive

CONTACT: Michelle Soto of Harris Interactive, +1-585-214-7665

Web site: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/
http://go.hpolsurveys.com/HarrisPoll

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