The younger generation are just as likely to go online shopping on Christmas Day as they are to watch the Queen’s speech, new research has found.
Younger people are creating their own customs on the big day and are keen to take advantage of technology to grab a bargain, according to Gocompare.com.
At the same time they are more likely to send festive greetings via social media – done in 34% of cases – than by telephone which is done by 24% of the population.
Younger people are also more likely to go to the pub than to church over the festive period, highlighting a change in approaches at Christmas.
Around 8% of people will shop online on 25 December although that figure rises to 16% for those aged 25 to 34.
More than 2,000 people were quizzed on their habits as part of the survey and while some Christmas traditions stay strong, many are being replaced by new things. For young adults in particular, Christmas is changing.
Time honoured traditions
Visiting family and friends remains popular at Christmas with 43% of all adults doing this, a figure that increases among 25 to 34 year olds as 52% see relations during the festive period.
Telephoning family and friends is also popular as 41% of all adults will make a phone call on Christmas Day, although only 24% of 18 to 24 year olds do the same. However, many of this age group will likely still be living with parents so there would be no need to telephone them.
This younger age group was also more likely to have family come visit them, showing that some Christmas traditions remain strong.
The modern way
A quarter of all adults now use social media on Christmas Day, although this increases to 34% and 35% among those ages 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 respectively.
Around 12% of the population will use Skype to stay in contact with family while one of the most popular things to do together is watch a Christmas film or TV programme – done by 55% of people.
However, 7% of people will watch programming in a separate room to their family and less than one quarter (22%) of all adults will tune into watch the Queen’s speech. That figure drops further to just 17% of 25 to 34 year olds and 13% of 18 to 24 year olds.
Recording TV or using catch up services was also a popular choice for celebrators, done by nearly a third of the population, and amazingly a small 2% of people will even log on to eBay to flog their unwanted Christmas presents before the big day is even over.
