Nearly two-thirds of Americans think this is the ‘grinchiest’ place during the holiday season

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

WHAT’S THE “GRINCHIEST” PLACE OF ALL DURING THE HOLIDAYS? SHOPPING CENTERS, ACCORDING TO NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICANS.

A SURVEY OF 2,000 ADULTS BY INTERNATIONAL DELIGHT REVEALED 64% THINK MALLS AND SHOPPING CENTERS INDUCE THE MOST STRESS DURING THE WINTER MONTHS WITH AIRPORTS (59%) AND THE POST OFFICE (58%) ROUNDING OUT THE TOP THREE.

CROWDS (60%), LONG LINES (53%) AND NOISE (52%) WERE AMONG PEOPLE’S TOP PET PEEVES AT THESE STRESSFUL LOCATIONS. 

BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, ‘GRINCHY’ PLACES EXIST ONLINE, TOO. STRESS-INDUCING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS ARE FACEBOOK (43%), INSTAGRAM (40%) AND TIKTOK (36%).

ANOTHER POTENTIAL SOURCE OF HOLIDAY STRESS? OVERPLAYED SONGS. “JINGLE BELLS” (25%) AND “WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS” (25%) TIED IN THIS CATEGORY, WHILE “YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH” WAS AMONG THE LEAST OVERPLAYED (17%).

MOST OVERPLAYED HOLIDAY SONGS

• “Jingle Bells” - 25%
• “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” - 25%
• “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” - 23%
• “Jingle Bell Rock” - 23%
• “All I want for Christmas is You” - 22%
• “Feliz Navidad” - 21%
• “Santa Baby” - 19%
• “Last Christmas” - 18%
• “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” - 17%
• “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” - 17%
• “Winter Wonderland” - 16%
• “The Chanukah Song” - 15%

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,005 general population Americans was commissioned by International Delight between October 10 and October 17, 2022. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).