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What war on Christmas? Numbers say it's over

 
Tampa Bay Times
Published Dec. 17, 2014

The War on Christmas is over. Jesus won.

That's the implication of a new Pew Research Center survey that finds nearly three-quarters of Americans (73 percent) believe that Jesus was literally born to a virgin. (About 40 percent of Americans say the Bible should, in general, not be taken literally but do believe in the virgin birth.) And 81 percent say Jesus lay in a manger, 75 percent say the three wise men brought him gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh, and 74 percent say his birth was announced by an angel to the shepherds.

In all, Pew reports that 65 percent of Americans believe all four key elements of the Christmas story are to be taken literally. This is more than the percentage who express confidence in evolution, global warming or the efficacy of vaccines. And among U.S. Christians, fully eight in 10 (81 percent) believe in all four elements. Even among people not affiliated with any religion, 21 percent believe all these events took place, and 37 percent believe at least one (but not all) of them occurred. (Read the full report at pewforum.org.)

Interestingly, women are considerably more likely than men to believe in all four elements of the Christmas story.

Another sign that the War on Christmas is over: 72 percent of Americans say nativity scenes should be allowed on government property. Forty-four percent say nativity scenes should be allowed even if symbols from other religious faiths are prohibited. Only one in five Americans say nativity scenes shouldn't be allowed on government property at all.

Or take this data point, from 2012: when asked whether they prefer "Merry Christmas" or a generic holiday greeting, a plurality said it didn't matter. Among those with a preference, Americans preferred "Merry Christmas" by a 4-to-1 margin. Even non-religious Americans prefer "Merry Christmas" by nearly 3-to-1. So, looking at this data, it's hard to find a true War on Christmas.

Christopher Ingraham writes about politics, drug policy and all things data. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center.

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