Nearly half of voters believe that the religious aspects of Christmas are emphasized less now than in the past, according to a nationwide poll released on Wednesday.
The Hill-HarrisX survey found that 46 percent of those surveyed said there is too little emphasis on Christmas as a religious holiday. Another 18 percent said there was too much of a religious emphasis on the holiday.
Nearly four in 10 of voters — 36 percent — believe the holiday has just the right amount of a focus on religion.
GOP respondents were more inclined to believe that Christmas doesn’t have enough of a religious emphasis.
A majority of Republicans — 57 percent — said there was too little emphasis on Christmas as a religious holiday, compared to 45 percent of Democrats and 37 of independents who said the same.
The number of Americans who don’t have a religious affiliation has been on the decline for some time now.
According to Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65 percent of Americans describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion. This marks a 12-point decrease over the past decade.
Meanwhile, the number of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” stands at 26 percent. That mark is up from 17% in 2009.
The Hill-HarrisX poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters between Dec. 13-14. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 points.
—Tess Bonn
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