Eighty percent of U.S. adults would want to contact Santa Claus if given the chance, according to a recent survey suggesting that no matter how old we get, there is still a child in most of us. The survey, sponsored by WhitePages.com and conducted by Harris Interactive®, reveals that 26 percent of adults would want to contact Saint Nick in person, compared to 24 percent who would send him an email and 20 percent who would reach out through regular mail. Phone, IM and text messaging trail at five, three and one percent, respectively.
The survey sheds new insight into common yuletide traditions and how people like to communicate with others, and why. Three-quarters of respondents (76%) say they send cards during the Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year’s season and more than half (51%) like to receive lengthy "form letter" updates from family and friends. The reasons for sending cards vary: 70 percent do so to bring joy to others, 54 percent do it to feel happy, 47 percent say it helps them get into the holiday spirit and 41 percent say it’s a family tradition. On the other hand, 22 percent of adults feel obligated to send holiday cards and 21 percent admitted to feeling guilty if they did not take part in the annual activity. Office politics also come into play, with 32 percent deeming it important to send a card to their boss or supervisor.
Holiday Hassle or Pleasure?
Enjoyable or not, 31 percent agreed they would feel slighted if they did not receive a holiday card from someone to whom they sent one. According to 84 percent of those who send holiday cards, the task is fraught with a myriad of hassles:
- 43% have trouble finding cards they actually like
- 39% have a hard time getting motivated to tackle the project
- 35% cannot think of something to write
- 34% struggle to mail them out in time
- 30% have a hard time tracking down address information for friends and family
"The holidays are a popular time for connecting with the important people in our lives, both personally and professionally," said Alex Algard, founder and CEO of WhitePages.com. "WhitePages.com is a holiday lifesaver because it provides 24/7 access to residential and at-work contact information for more than 133 million U.S. adults, making it easier for busy consumers to power through holiday tasks like addressing cards, mailing party invitations, and sending gifts or cards to business associates."
Sending holiday cards is a tradition that is alive and well, with the U.S. Postal Service delivering on average 100 million First-Class cards and letters a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. This number could change over time, with 25 percent of adults preferring to receive an e-greeting card instead of a traditional handwritten card.
The Card Arrives, Then What?
- 73% of adults display the handwritten cards they receive: 46% flaunt them on a table or other piece of furniture (e.g., dresser, piano), 22% on a fireplace mantle, and 17% on a bookshelf.
- On the flip side, 16% do not display the cards they receive, 11% store them in drawers or boxes, and 5% throw them away.
WhitePages.com conducted the survey to better understand consumers and their needs during the busy holiday season. WhitePages.com’s traffic surges during the holiday season when consumers rely on the site to address holiday cards and gifts, and call friends and family.
WhitePages.com provides the richest source of contact related information available on the Internet today–including an address and/or phone number for more than 133 million U.S. adults. The site also provides other helpful tools such as reverse ZIP code and area code lookups. With nearly 40 million unique users per month who conduct on average 155 million searches, WhitePages.com is a leader in the growing people search category.
About the Survey
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of WhitePages.com between July 20 and July 24, 2007 among 2,757 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
With a pure probability sample of 2,757, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples may be higher and would vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and one of the fastest-growing market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its North American, European and Asian offices, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at https://www.harrisinteractive.com.
About WhitePages.com
WhitePages.com, a privately held company based in Seattle, is the most trusted and comprehensive source for consumers to quickly and easily find relevant, accurate contact information in North America. The company’s network of sites include WhitePages.com (https://www.whitepages.com), WhitePages.ca (https://www.whitepages.ca), 411.com (https://www.411.com), Address.com (https://www.address.com), PhoneNumber.com (https://www.phonenumber.com), and its 1,300 partner sites including, Superpages.com, YellowPages.com and Canada411. The on-the-go user can also access contact information via cell phone, Blackberrys and other Web enabled mobile devices.
This article was last modified on January 8, 2023
This article was first published on November 12, 2007
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