Almost all Americans celebrate Christmas, but most say COVID-19 will cause some changes to their usual holiday habits. A new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found 93 percent of American adults say they celebrate Christmas. That number is essentially unchanged from a decade ago when 91 percent said the same in a 2010 LifeWay Research survey.
“Some Americans are reacting to the effects of COVID-19 by doubling down with plans to celebrate more,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Other Americans will scale back their traditions likely due to safety, finances or their state of mind.”
With health and safety recommendations limiting contact with others in effect across much of the country, 35 percent of Americans say they expect to spend less time visiting with family at Christmas this year. Around half (47 percent) say their plans remain the same, while 13 percent plan to visit family more due to COVID.
Those more likely to be in high-risk health categories are also more likely to say they’ll be spending less time visiting their family. Americans aged 50 to 64 (43 percent) and those 65 and older (38 percent) are more likely to avoid such visits than young adults aged 18 to 34 (28 percent).
Possibly due to the reduction in travel or the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, 1 in 5 Americans (20 percent) say they expect less gift giving this Christmas. Two-thirds (67 percent) say it will stay the same, 9 percent say they’ll give more gifts this year and 4 percent say they don’t usually give gifts for Christmas.
In addition to the cultural Christmas traditions, many say COVID-19 will have an impact on their spiritual holiday observance in 2020. A quarter of Americans (25 percent) say the pandemic makes them less likely to attend a Christmas church service this year. Around 1 in 10 (11 percent) say COVID-19 makes them more likely, 37 percent say the same as usual, and 27 percent say their Christmas celebrations usually don’t involve churchgoing.
While churches may be less crowded this Christmas, Americans may be more reflective on the spiritual significance of the holiday. Around 3 in 5 adults (59 percent) say their spiritual reflections this year will stay the same, but 19 percent say they expect it to increase. Even among the religiously unaffiliated, 10 percent say the pandemic has made them more likely to spend time in spiritual reflection during the holidays this year.
“Almost 9 in 10 Americans typically do some spiritual reflection at Christmas,” McConnell said. “Personal time considering why God would come in the flesh isn’t affected by health or financial concerns, so it’s not surprising that about twice as many Americans will do more of this than less for Christmas this year.”