F
or Americans, Thanksgiving is about faith and family and not much else, a new study shows.
More than half (56 percent) tell LifeWay Research the most important part of the annual holiday is “being thankful to God for my blessings.” Nearly 4 in 10 (39 percent) say “time with family and friends” tops their Thanksgiving priorities.
Times of prayer and thanking God for the harvest stretch back to the Protestant Reformation in Europe and continued as Pilgrims and Puritans settled in America.
Since then the holiday has developed several other traditions like the extravagant meal, football games and the start of Christmas shopping. But eating, football and shopping each garnered only 1 percent of Americans who say it is the most important aspect of Thanksgiving.
“In a nation that prides itself on personal independence, Thanksgiving priorities are a noticeable contradiction,” said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research. “Most Americans relish the holiday to acknowledge the hand of God in their success and many others cherish the time with loved ones.”
Unsurprisingly Christians are more likely to value thanking God above the other parts of Thanksgiving than anyone else. More than 2 in 3 Christians (68 percent) point to thankfulness to God. Close to half of adherents of other religions (46 percent) and more than a quarter of the nonreligious (28 percent) say the same.
This question also exposed a clear generational divide. Older millennials (25–34) select fellowship instead of faith 53 percent to 44 percent. Younger millennials (18–24) are even more likely to say the time with others versus being thankful — 57 percent to 39 percent. (BP)
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