Poll: Forget Mrs. Claus — Nearly 4 in 10 Britons Think Santa Can Be Gay

Roughly 4 out of 10 Britons — 39 percent — think Santa Claus can be gay, according to a YouGov poll released the day before Christmas Eve.

The results come after the Norwegian postal service released an annual Christmas video featuring Santa Claus falling in love with another man to mark the 50th anniversary of Norway’s decriminalization of homosexuality. The video, entitled “When Harry Met Santa,” is a four-minute short film in which the main character interacts with Santa Claus several times, before writing him a letter stating: “Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is you.”

Norway Makes Santa Gay for Ad Promoting… Postal Service? (Norwegian Postal Service / Screengrab)

The poll report stated:

Scandinavian countries like Norway are known for having socially liberal attitudes, so how might the advert have gone down if aired on these shores? ‘Divisive’ is perhaps the best description, as a new YouGov poll shows that Britons are split 39 [percent] /41 [percent] on whether or not it would be acceptable to depict Father Christmas as being homosexual.

Among Britons who identify as LGBT, 76 percent say they think Santa can be gay, and 17 percent are opposed to the idea. By gender, women are more open to a gay Santa, with women accepting such depictions 42 percent to 36 percent. Men are the opposite, saying a gay Santa is unacceptable 46 percent to 36 percent.

Can Santa be gay?

A Norwegian advert recently ruffled some people’s feathers for showing Father Christmas with a boyfriend, and Britons are divided:

Acceptable: 39%
Unacceptable: 41%https://t.co/QDz5rLkIfJ pic.twitter.com/bqPmyZNNfT

— YouGov (@YouGov) December 23, 2021

Broken down by age groups, younger demographics are more accepting of a gay Santa

“The youngest Britons – those aged 18-24 – [support] a gay Santa by 60 percent to 20 percent. Those aged 25-49 are also more in [favor] than not, by 46 percent to 33 percent, but this is flipped among 50-64 year olds who find such a depiction unacceptable by 47 percent to 31 percent,” the survey found. “Most Britons aged 65 and over cannot tolerate a homosexual Father Christmas, by 58 percent to 24 percent.”

However, the public is “firmly” against a woman portraying Father Christmas, with Britons finding such a switch unacceptable 54 percent to 27 percent.

“Women are just as likely as men (56 percent and 53 percent) to say no to a Saint Nicola,” the report continues.

Younger people ages 18-24 years old are more open to the idea, with 45 percent saying it would be acceptable for Santa to be a woman.

The poll was conducted December 14-15  with 1,714 adults in Great Britain.

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