This, the first of a series of panel surveys investigating spiritual practice in Scotland, shows how people engaged with Christmas in 2025. Christmas remains a time for family in Scotland with 76% spending time with family in the run-up to Christmas, and 83% spending time with them on Christmas Day itself. It's a time for generosity and enjoyment, with 39% giving to charity, 26% attending a sporting event and 21% going to a Christmas show.
Emotions often run high at Christmas and it can be a time of anxiety and loneliness. 43% of respondents said they felt stressed (along with a surprising 55% of those of other religions), and 17% felt lonely. Over half felt that Christmas is a consistent season of generosity and gift giving, with just over half of Christians and those of no religion alike indicating that (along with three-quarters of those of other religious status). For Christian and non-Christian alike, Christmas is a season of indulgence. Christians felt significantly happier, compassionate and thankful than those of no or another religion, and less anxious and stressed. These latter findings are consistent with other research, and are probably not Christmas-specific.
As a period of spiritual preparation, however, Advent sees little engagement with the story of the Nativity, with only 1 in 3 Christians doing so, and 7% of those with no religion. At the other side of Christmastide, Candlemas can only be described as a niche concept in Scotland, with only 1% of Christians and non-Christians committing to Christmas until then. Yet, 26% of Christians said that Christmas does give them a sense of religious devotion. How that is experienced or expressed will be teased out in further research.
For more information about the panel survey, please see the Technical Note, for further details about this work please contact Fiona Tweedie.
