Public Policy Polling (PPP) just came out with a new survey that flies in the face of the “war on Christmas” narrative that Fox News and President-elect Donald Trump have been clinging to.
‘Happy Holidays’ Offends Conservatives
Over 1,200 people were asked whether they preferred the greeting “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” Here are the results:
- 45 percent said they preferred “Merry Christmas”
- 9 percent preferred “Happy Holidays”
- 45 percent said that they had no preference one way or the other.
It’s not surprising that more people prefer “Merry Christmas,” given that roughly 83 percent of the United States identifies with Christianity. However, what was surprising is that 13 percent of respondents said that they would be personally offended by a “Happy Holidays” greeting, whereas only 3 percent would be offended by “Merry Christmas.”
This finding directly contradicts the supposed “war on Christmas” that, according to Fox News, has been raging for the last decade. Based on this poll, almost nobody is offended by someone wishing them a merry Christmas. On the other hand, respondents that identified as strong conservatives were the group most offended by “Happy Holidays,” with 21 percent saying it was offensive to them.
In fact, people who identified as “very conservative” were more than twice as likely to be offended by “Happy Holidays” than “very liberal” respondents were to be offended by “Merry Christmas.”
The False Narrative
At a rally in Michigan, Donald Trump told his legion of supporters:
“We’re going to start saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again.”
This statement was met by cheers and applause. But here’s the thing; no one cares whether or not you say “Merry Christmas.” It’s just simply a non-factor in almost everybody’s life. The people who get the most offended by a holiday greeting happen to be the ones who incorrectly claim their holiday greetings are offensive to others.
The “war on Christmas” doesn’t exist, and no one with their head screwed on straight really cares if the person at the checkout line wishes them a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” I celebrate Christmas, but if you were to wish me a “Happy Hanukah” I’d smile and say thank you, excited that you were including me in your holiday cheer.
This poll from PPP makes it clear that the people who are outraged about perceived “offense” are actually the ones getting the most offended. So let’s all do our best to ignore and discredit this silly narrative. I hope everyone has a merry Christmas, happy Hanukah, wonderful Kwanzaa, and just all around great holiday season.
Watch the video below to see American Dad hilariously show the “very conservative” hypocrisy around the happy holidays greeting.
Featured Image Credit: via YouTube screenshot
