Christmas Poll for Sunday Mirror / IoS

Christmas poll for Sunday Mirror / Independent on Sunday

Date Published: 17 Dec 2011

Categories: Public and communities | Social | UK

Description

Austerity Christmas a chance to recall the value of families spending time together

Most people (89%) feel under pressure to spend too much at Christmas, but most resist – 80% say they will not resort to credit cards and overdraft to pay for it, according to a ComRes poll for the Sunday Mirror and The Independent on Sunday.

Instead, the nation is tightening its belt, with 56% saying they plan to spend less on Christmas this year than last year. The poll suggests that most of us would welcome the chance to rediscover the non-material joys of family life. An overwhelming majority, 86%, agree that “too many people have forgotten the value of families spending time together without television and other electronic entertainment”.

Perhaps surprisingly, however, a majority of respondents (63%) disagreed that “the internet is bad for family life”.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

People generally feel under pressure to spend too much at Christmas Agree: 89% Disagree: 6% Don’t know: 5%

I can only afford to pay for Christmas by using credit cards and overdrafts Agree: 15% Disagree: 80% Don’t know: 4%

I plan to spend less on Christmas this year than last year Agree: 56% Disagree: 32% Don’t know: 12%

Too many people have forgotten the value of families spending time together without television and other electronic entertainment Agree: 86% Disagree: 8% Don’t know: 6%

The internet is bad for family life Agree: 22% Disagree: 63% Don’t know: 14%

Methodology note: ComRes interviewed 2048 GB adults online on 7 and 8 December 2011. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults and by past vote recall.