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‘Tis the season for holiday traditions! We asked Canadians which of several seasonal items or habits they prefer.
Food and Beverages
Across the country, turkey is strongly preferred over ham for a holiday meal, with 71% choosing turkey and fewer than two in ten choosing ham. Preference for turkey is consistent across all age groups, although those aged 55+ are significantly more likely to prefer it. One in ten Canadians (11%) prefer neither turkey nor ham.
When considering two seasonal beverages, Canadians voice a clear preference for eggnog (42%) over mulled wine (22%), although a sizable minority (37%) prefer neither. Results are generally consistent across the country, with one exception: Quebec residents are significantly less likely than others to prefer eggnog and are most likely to prefer neither beverage.
Canadians are more divided when it comes to their sweet tooth preferences during the holiday season! Of the two traditional cookies, Canadians have a slight preference for sugar cookies (45%) over gingerbread cookies (42%). Preference varies by region, with BC residents favouring gingerbread cookies and those in Atlantic Canada expressing the strongest preference for sugar cookies.
Other Traditions
Given a choice, Canadians slightly prefer artificial trees (49%) over real trees (43%), although Atlantic Canadians are more inclined to prefer the opposite (51% real vs. 45% artificial). This is unsurprising given the prevalence of Christmas tree farms in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Younger Canadians are more likely than those in other age groups to prefer a real tree.
When wrapping holiday gifts, Canadians overall express a preference for gift wrapping (53%) over gift bags (39%). Quebec residents have a stronger preference for gift wrapping compared to those in other provinces, while Ontario residents are evenly split in their preferences. Preference for gift wrapping decreases with age, with older Canadians being evenly divided.
Finally, the days of ugly sweater contests may be behind us! When considering comfort and joy during the holiday season, Canadians are twice as likely to prefer festive Christmas pajamas (50%) over Christmas sweaters (25%). Results are consistent across the country, with younger Canadians voicing the strongest preference for festive pajamas.
For more information, please contact:
Margaret Chapman, COO & Partner, Narrative Research – 902.493.3834, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca or Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com.
Narrative Research is a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE). Narrative Research provides clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services.
The Logit Group is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies.
