The 2022 Holiday Season: More of the Same
With the holiday season in full swing, and restrictions lifted across the country, will Canadians be celebrating as per usual this year?
In our latest national omnibus survey, we ask Canadians how they are planning to celebrate the holidays. From the looks of things, this year will likely be a lot more of the same.
Here’s a summary of what we found:
Over 3 in 10 Canadians (35%) will be hosting a holiday meal with family and/or friends this year (up 12-points from 2021) and nearly 6 in 10 Canadians (57%) will be travelling to another household to attend a holiday party. Looking at those who will be travelling, 74% (-2 from 2021) will be staying local, while 18% (+3 from 2021) will be travelling to another part of the province. 5% will be travelling to another province altogether, and 3% plan to travel internationally.
So, what’s on the menu this holiday season? Well, 65% of the holiday dinners will feature turkey as the main course (-15 points from 2021), 21% will be having chicken (-6 points from 2021), 6% ham, and 4% a vegetarian dish (-3 points from 2021). Young people are significantly more likely than older Canadians to venture outside of the typical holiday norms. Those under 45 are significantly more likely to be serving a vegetarian (6%) or chicken dish (20%) this holiday season.
We also asked Canadians to choose their preferences for many classic holiday favourites.
Here’s a summary:
- Artificial trees (54%) are the preferred type of Christmas tree this year, just beating real trees (46%), and flipping the script on our 2021 results.
- Michael Bublé (54%) holds his spot as the favourite over Bing Crosby (46%) by a similar margin.
- Gift wrap options continue to divide the nation: 49% prefer gift bags while 51% prefer wrapping paper.
- Hot chocolate (74%) has grown in support since 2021, easily beating eggnog (26%) as the preferred holiday beverage.
- Canadians still prefer to receive cash as a holiday gift (61%), rather than gift cards (39%).
Finally, over three-quarters of Canadians (77%) would prefer to have snow on Christmas, rather than no snow (23%).
Wondering how Canadians’ holiday favourites compare to last year? We followed up with Canadians about their preferred holiday staples such as cookies, side dishes, movies, and songs. Turns out, most Canadians still prefer shortbread cookies (35%), stuffing (37%), Home Alone (35%), and Holy Night (23%).
However, that doesn’t mean you’ll please everyone with these choices. Among those under 45 years old, chocolate chip cookies (31%), potatoes (43%), and Jingle Bells (27%) reign supreme.
For those who were curious, the full results are as follows:
Favourite Holiday Side Dish:
Stuffing – 37% (+1%)
Potatoes – 36% (+3%)
Vegetables – 17% (+3%)
Cranberry Sauce – 6% (-4%)
Pigs in a Blanket – 3% (-3%)
Favourite holiday Cookie:
Shortbread – 35%
Chocolate Chip – 26% (-2%)
Gingerbread – 20% (+1%)
Sugar – 10% (-1%)
Butter – 9% (+1%)
Favourite Holiday Movie:
Home Alone – 35% (-2%)
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation – 20% (-2%)
Elf – 17% (+3%)
It’s A Wonderful Life – 14%
Miracle on 34th Street – 13%
Favourite Holiday Song:
Holy Night – 23% (-3%)
Jingle Bells – 21% (+1%)
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – 20% (+2%)
White Christmas – 19%
All I Want for Christmas is You – 17%
METHODOLOGY
This survey was conducted with 1,656 Canadian adults from December 9th to 14th 2022. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.408%, 19 times out of 20.
The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.408%, 19 times out of 20.
The data was weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.