'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