'Merry Christmas' is back
2006-12-08 20:23
Dallas - Americans are ready to put "Merry Christmas" back into holiday shopping, a new poll shows.
The majority of Americans surveyed - 95% - said they
were not offended by a "Merry Christmas" greeting in stores, according to a poll by Zogby International.
However, 32% of respondents said they took offence
at "Happy Holidays," the religiously neutral alternative
promoted over the last few years as inclusive and inoffensive.
The "war over Christmas" has been a battleground in the
so-called culture wars in the United States, which has far
higher church attendance rates than most other developed
nations.
A good gauge of the national mood may be retail giant
Wal-Mart, which this season reversed its policy of limiting the
use of "Merry Christmas".
"Last year's decision by many retailers - including retail
giant Wal-Mart - to curtail the use of "Merry Christmas" for
fear of offending those who don't celebrate the holiday caused
a backlash from conservative Christian groups as well as
consumers," Zogby said in a statement.
Polls have shown that more than 80% of Americans
identify themselves as Christians.
Along partisan lines, eight percent of the Democrats polled
said they were offended at a "Merry Christmas" greeting
compared to less than one percent of the Republicans surveyed.
Conservative Christians are a key Republican base.
The Zogby Interactive poll surveyed 12 806 adults from November
21-29 and has a margin of error of 0.9 percentage points.
"Wal-Mart's change of heart this season could help bring
more people into their stores ? 35% of respondents said
hearing "Merry Christmas" makes them more likely to shop there
this season," Zogby added.
- Reuters