Does Merry Christmas Make People Not So Merry?

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Does “Merry Christmas” Make People Not So Merry Alison Bedard, Devin Scully HSB4Mb Mr. Ray Lewis

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Table of Contents 3. Abstract 4. Procedure 5. Field Observations, Findings, Graphs 6. Survey Findings, Graphs 14. Implications of Research 15. Limitations of Research 16. Theoretical Perspectives 17. Literature Review 18. Annotated Bibliography

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Abstract  Why did you do this study or project?  What did you do, and how?  What did you find?  What do your findings mean?

The topic of how different people would respond to being wished a “Merry Christmas” was studied as it has been a prominent topic the last few years during Christmas time. Some people are beginning to believe that it is better to say “happy holidays” than “Merry Christmas” as the latter might cause offense to a person who does not celebrate Christmas. Other people believe that Christmas should remain prominent as “Christ is the reason for the season”. To determine how people feel about this subject, a survey was administered to determine how different ages and religions feel about and respond to “Merry Christmas”. Data was also collected by observing how people responded when told “Merry Christmas” randomly in stores and on the street. The survey was administered online in an attempt to reach people of differing religions. The observations were collected by a couple of people going into public, wishing everyone they saw a “Merry Christmas”, and recording how they responded to the greeting. Judging by the results found in both the survey and observations, it can be assumed that most people will respond to being told “Merry Christmas” in a pleasant way, regardless of whether or not they actually celebrate Christmas. These findings mean that saying “Merry Christmas” to another person is not as bad as some people make it appear to be. Many people just take the greeting in the spirit in which it is given and respond accordingly and with respect. Most people that do not like being told to have a “Merry Christmas” do not explain that they do not celebrate Christmas or why it is disrespectful to other religions to say that to a person. People who do not like the greeting usually acknowledge it in a quiet respectful way such as nodding or replying with “happy holidays”.

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Procedure We had two primary methods of research; public observation and a survey.

Public observation This was conducted in mid-December. We went to a number of heavily travelled places in town, including the Square and Suncoast Mall, and said merry Christmas to a random sample of 26 people. We recorded gender, observed reactions and estimated ages.

Survey We created a survey of 11 questions. It was distributed in hard copy at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital and the Maitland Valley Medical Centre. A total of 45 hard copy surveys were distributed. An additional 192 electronic surveys were distributed via a survey forum of reddit.com and a number of Facebook pages. These electronic surveys were open to completion by anyone, and resulted in a roughly even demographic spread. A total of 237 surveys were completed.

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Field Work Observations and Findings An overall majority of observed people responded with Merry Christmas or a variation of. People from age 40-49 were the most likely to say Merry Christmas, compared to the 10-19 age bracket who were more likely to laugh than respond verbally. A higher number of women per capita said Merry Christmas than men, although both men and women most frequently said Merry Christmas. People aged 60 and older were the most likely to ignore someone who says Merry Christmas, with an equal number of nonresponses to returned greetings. No seniors smiled or laughed.

Figure 1: How age groups Responded

Figure 2: How Different Genders Responded

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Survey A majority of respondents were in the 10-19 age category and the 20-29 category.

Findings In all age groups the most commonly reported feeling was happiness. The happiest group per capita was the 30-39, followed by the 10-19 demographic. The 60+ category had only happy and included as a response. Statistically, this makes them the friendliest demographic, as no respondents reported unpleasant feelings, such as annoyance, sadness, or being left out. Per capita, the least friendly demographic was the 10-19 age group, with the largest percentage of sadness, and annoyance. (See Figure 3) An overall majority of respondents reported atheism, none and non-practicing as their religion.

Most of this can be attributed to the 10-19 and 20-29 age groups. This may have contributed to the higher percentage of negative feelings about Christmas greetings. A majority of 50-59 and 60+ respondents reported a branch of Christianity as their religion. This could be the reason that all seniors reported positive feelings about Christmas greetings. People aged 30-49 had a roughly equal spread of religious beliefs, and consequently, had a scattered spread of feelings pertaining to being greeted, although the 40-49 category was slightly more positively receptive to Christmas greetings. (See Figure 4) A majority of people in each demographic stated that they would be polite in some way, including a returned greeting, a smile, or a thanks of some kind. The 20-29 demographic was the only group which had respondents report that they would explain why not to say Merry Christmas, and that they celebrate something other than Christmas. This again, correlates closely with the large percentage of non-religious people in that age group. Consistent with previous findings, the 50-59 and 60+ age group were the only group with 100% positive reported responses. (See Figure 5) Enjoyment of Christmas increased with the age of the respondents. The 60+ category had a significantly higher percentage of people report their enjoyment of Christmas as 5/5, their favorite day of the year. The second highest reported feeling in this category was 4/5. A smaller percentage reported 3/5, and no 60+ respondents reported 1/5 or 2/5. This is consistent with findings that this demographic is the most Christian, and the most receptive to greetings. The 50-59 demographic had an equal percentage of people report 5/5 and 4/5. Additionally, and equal number of respondents in this demographic reported 1/5 and 2/5, although these were both low percentages, at 10% each. 20% of the 50-59 demographic reported a feeling of 3/5 about Christmas. Every other demographic had a higher percentage of 4/5, with 5/5 being the third most frequently reported feeling. 3/5 was consistently the second most reported feeling, with 2/5 making up a small percentage of the three youngest age groups.

In the 10-19 and 20-29 age groups, there were a few reports of a feeling of 1/5. Nobody in the 30-39 reported 1/5. (See Figure 6)

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Figure 3: How Age groups Feel in Response to “Merry Christmas”

Figure 4: Age Group vs Religion

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Figure 5: How age Groups Respond to “Merry Chritmas”

Figure 6: Christmas Day Rating vs Age

9 76% of respondents reported that their mood would not affect how they respond to “Merry Christmas”. 24% reported that their mood would affect their response. (See Figure 7) 91. 3% of respondents reported that they celebrated Christmas. Other notable responses included Hanukkah and nothing. Most other responses had less than 1%. (See Figure 8) 94.5% of respondents reported that they would respond positively to being greeted. This correlates accurately with the previous overall data. The remaining 5.5% of respondents said they would respond negatively. (See Figure 9) Overall, the largest number of respondents, at 45.3% reported that they rate Christmas as a 4/5.

24.2% reported Christmas as a 3/5, and 18.6 reported Christmas as a 5/5. Less than 10% said 2/5, and very few respondents reported christmas as a 1/5. (See Figure 10) Of the reported religions the most frequently reported answers were “None” and “Athiest” at 21% each. Other non-practicing answers included “Do Not Practice”, and “Unsure”. Between all variations of non-religious respondents, a majority of all respondents reported that they are not religious, with a total of 59%. General Christianity made up approximately a quarter of the remaining 41%, with 11.1% of the respondents, and another 5.9% reporting Catholicism. Other denominations of Christianity, including, Anglican, United and Lutheran made up approximately another 5%, leaving Christianity with a rounded 20%, or one fifth of the sample. Other minorirty religions included Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. (See Figure 11) All religions reported had the most respondents stating that they feel happy. The happiest groups were Christians and non-religious respondents. The least happy group were those who reported being “Stated”, who had 100% of respondents saying they were sad. (See Figure 12) With the exception of Jehovah’s Witnesses, there were only a few groups, with even a small percentage of 1/5 ratings. Jehovahs Witnesses had 100% reporting that Christmas was a 1/5. Most other groups had most respondents report a 3/5 or 4/5. (See Figure 13)

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Figure 7: Effect of Mood on Response

Figure 8: Holidays Celebrated

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Figure 9: Positive vs Negative Responses

Figure 10: Rating of Christmas Day

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Figure 11: Religions

Figure 12: How Religions Feel in Response to “Merry Christmas”

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Figure 13: Rating of Christmas Day.

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Implications of Research

With the number of new immigrants in our society, many of whom are from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, there has been much uncertainty about the use of the phrase “Merry Christmas”.

Many people are hesitant to use this traditional phrase, for fear of offending or excluding other people.

Our research had the potential to enlighten people as to how others may feel about being told to have a “Merry Christmas”. It has shown, that overall, most people are welcome to being greeted in this way.

Additionally, it has given a breakdown of the demographics which would be more and less receptive. For example, a very large majority of seniors over the age of 50 are very happy when someone says “Merry Christmas”. This could be a result of the fact that a majority of people in this age category reported Christianity as their religion, and Christmas as a very good day. This has the ability to ease a person’s hesitation of using the greeting, at least when talking to a senior. On the other end of the demographic spectrum, it has shown that teenagers and those in their twenties are more commonly of a different faith, although non-practicing was the most common response in this category. This caused a higher percentage of people who were less receptive to Christmas greetings. However, in spite of the fact that a very strong majority of respondents in this demographic reported as having no faith, most of this demographic considered “Merry Christmas” to be an acceptable greeting, with only a few percent reporting negative feelings. Overall, every demographic had a very strong majority accepting of “Merry Christmas”. This should ease any hesitation of use, as it is clear that a very strong majority of people consider “Merry Christmas” to be a light-hearted greeting, with positive meaning, regardless of faith or lack thereof.

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Limitations of Research

There are a number of small sources of limitation with our study. With the observation portion of our research, the observation was conducted in Goderich. Goderich is very predominantly Christian.

This could lead to a bias toward “Merry Christmas” being viewed positively. With regard to our survey, there were a number of bias-causing effects. The first, and most predominant, is the forum through which the survey was conducted. The website reddit.com has a very large, outspoken, and aggressive bordering on militant neo-atheist community. This group frequently has members speak out against all things religious in any forum they can. It is possible that some of the surveys could have been filled out by members of this group. This could result in a bias against “Merry Christmas”. As it happens, our findings came out very positively, so it is unlikely that this occurred on a large scale. Additionally, reddit.com is made up mostly of males aged 18-24, which would be the primary cause of the larger sample size in this demographic. This would have potential to lead to some bias overall, although measures were taken to prevent this as well. To ensure a more even sample was surveyed, Facebook was used to convey the survey to a large number of seniors.

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Theoretical Perspectives Social Exchange Theory People might consider how someone else may feel about being told “Merry Christmas”, and as a result they may not say it to a friend for fear of hurting the friendship by offending the other person.

Conflict Theory People might not want to say “Merry Christmas” for fear of causing a minority to think that there is a sense of entitlement from the person saying it. This could cause the minority to feel that the Caucasian person feels superior. This could lead to a feeling that there is an inequality in power in favor of the person saying “Merry Christmas”.

Symbolic Interactionism Some people may make the decision about whether or not to say “Merry Christmas” based on how they feel others may think they should be greeting people. For example a white man may feel that others expect him to not say “Merry Christmas”, and as a result he may feel obligated not to.

Systems Theory Because there is seemingly a downward shift in the popularity of “Merry Christmas”, many people in society, and in fact society as a whole has begun to stray away from the saying.

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Literature Review

Several sources were cited in an attempt to validate the study and compare the data. This was to ensure that the study was unbiased and that the data is valid. Several of the sources stated that many people feel that religious greeting such as “Merry Christmas” should be taken in the spirit it was given in, and not to be taken as a demeaning phrase. In the study, it can be seen that many of the people who were observed and who had taken the survey thought this about the greeting. Most of the sample responded to “Merry Christmas” in a positive way even if they do not celebrate Christmas, because they know that it has good intentions and is not meant to be discriminatory. One of the sources stated that some Christians are offended that according to society, they are not supposed to, or in some places not allowed to say “Merry Christmas”. Several of the people who filled out surveys explained why this new societal view is a bad thing in their eyes. These people either think that Christ should remain in Christmas, or that people should just take the greeting as a good wish.

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Annotated Bibliography Greene, A. (2011, December 14). being told to remove “Merry Christmas” from your work email signature. In Ask A Manager. Retrieved November 28, 2012, fromhttp://www.askamanager.org/2011/12/being-told-to-remove-merry-christmas-from-your-workemail-signature.html The author of this piece is Jewish, so she does not celebrate Christmas. She used to be a manager at a business but is now a consultant who blogs about the issues she works with. She believes that Christmas symbols are acceptable, but that the celebration should not be forced onto everyone.

She believes that being told "Merry Christmas" should not cause someone to take offence. She also believes strongly in religious freedom. The author seems to be an average person, and this is just her opinion, but it may be similar to that of other people. Her intended audience is the average person who wants to take the time to read her blog. Her opinion is similar to that of some of the other works that are cited, however it should be noted that this is not the opinion of all people. This work illuminates the study because it shows that not all people that do not celebrate Christmas will be offended when told “Merry Christmas” during the holiday season.

How Do You Say Merry Christmas (n.d.). In Word Constructions. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://wordconstructions.com.au/blog/2012/11/how-do-you-say-merry-christmas/ The author of this piece cannot be found, so it is impossible to determine the credibility of the piece as their background is unknown. This article states how the author thinks that business and people should conduct themselves over the holiday season. The author thinks that religious greetings should just be taken as good wishes and an expression of their beliefs. The intended audience is the average person as they spend time searching on the internet. This is similar to other sources because it expresses an opinion about holiday greetings and how they believe people should respond to them. This illuminates the topic because it gives insight to how some people may think, which could give an idea of how people would respond to a Christmas oriented greeting during the holiday season.

Tawfiq, I. (2011, December 19). A Merry Christmas?. In Onislam. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://www.onislam.net/english/ask-about-islam/society-and-family/interfaith-issues/166956-amerry-christmas.html

The author of the article is Islam, so his opinion may be biased. Also, this article is part of a blog style, question-and-answer forum, so it is not very credible. The intended audience is a Muslim one, so the article would be written with a bias toward that group. Compared to our other sources, this is a very weak source, as it is a single one sided opinion catering to a minority group. This source is relevant to our topic as it presents a different opinion on the matter. This article does not really illuminate the topic as there is not a significant number of Muslim people in the area, so it will not really have an effect in the study.

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Zimmer, B. (2007, December 25). Christmas and "Politically Correct(ed)ness". Language log.

A background on this author cannot be found, but his work is published in a language journal, so he is likely credible. His intended audience is people with a slightly higher than average level of intelligence. This relates to the other sources because it also shows an opinion of how people seem to think that saying “Merry Christmas” should not be deemed incorrect if a person is in fact a Christmas celebrator. This illuminates the topic because it stated that some kids seem to think it is more politically incorrect than adults, which means that during the experiment, kids might react more strongly against being told “Merry Christmas” than adults might.

Lankford, C. (2010, December 10). Debate remains between political correctness and Christmas cheer. The Talon.

The author of this piece is someone from the Oklahoma Christian University. Their opinion may be biased as the author is likely Christian, but it is a piece written for a university, so it was likely written in a way which tried to eliminate bias, leaving it quite credible. The intended audience is adults. Like other pieces used for comparison, it shows how many business are adapting and advertising to be politically correct and in an attempt to relate to a larger audience. It also mentions that some Christians are offended that they are not allowed to say “Merry Christmas” at their places or employment and that they are told they shouldn’t in society. This illuminated the topic because the study will be conducted in a largely Christian society, so results may be biased.