One in nine people (11%) say they’ll be spending Christmas Day alone this year – up from one in 20 (5%) who said the same 55 years ago.
That’s according to new research that compares festive attitudes and behaviours in 2024 to those in 1969.
The study, by the Policy Institute at King’s College London, finds the share of people aged 65+ saying they will spend Christmas Day by themselves has remained the same over this period, at 15% – but among all other age groups it has risen, with the biggest increase seen among the youngest surveyed. One in 11 21- to 34-year-olds now say they’ll be alone, up from one in 100 (1%) in 1969.
The research – which is based on two nationally representative surveys of UK adults aged 21+ in 2024 and 1969 – is part of a series of studies updating survey results from decades ago to understand changes in the nation’s beliefs and ways of living.
This latest study finds that, overall, 80% people today say they enjoy Christmas, down slightly from 55 years ago (86%).
And while there have been some notable shifts in attitudes, others have barely changed, highlighting the persistence of some beliefs about the festive holiday.
Six in 10 (62%) people today think parents should encourage their children to believe in Santa Claus – down from three-quarters (75%) in 1969.
This change has been driven by shifting views among older age groups. For example, the proportion of 55- to 64-year-olds who think parents should encourage belief in Santa has fallen from 83% to 59%.
By contrast, 65% of 21-to-34-year-olds today hold this view – virtually the same as the 68% of this age group who felt the same in 1969.
In 2024, 54% say they’d like to cut down on spending for Christmas, compared with 46% who say they would not. In 1969, the public were also very divided, with 52% wanting to reduce their festive expenditure and 48% preferring not to.
Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, said: “Christmas is just a little bit lonelier and less joyous or magical than it was 55 years ago. The proportion of people spending the day itself alone has doubled, we’re less likely to say we enjoy it, and a lot less likely to think parents should encourage their children to believe in Santa.
“But this doesn’t mean we’ve given up on Christmas – indeed a large majority of eight in 10 still say they do enjoy it, and nine in 10 will spend it with family or friends.
“These long-term trends are also useful in reminding us that some things have remained the same, despite the huge changes seen. 1969 was the year man landed on the moon, John and Yoko staged their bed-in for peace, the death penalty was finally abolished, and our current King was invested as the Prince of Wales. But even back then, eight in 10 were complaining that that Christmas was too commercialised – exactly the same proportion as today.”
