According to a survey, Santa Claus is far too white, straight, and masculine for the majority of young UK citizens.
The modern depiction of Father Christmas as an old white man with a big bushy beard who wears a red and white suit was made globally famous by Coca Cola’s adverts of the 1930s.
A survey by YouGov has now found that 60 per cent of 18–24-year-olds in the UK think it is ‘acceptable’ for Santa to be gay.
However, 41% of respondents across all age ranges said that it wasn’t OK. This includes 17% of the lesbian, homosexual, and bisexual participants.
It was overwhelmingly based on gender and age that the results showed, with 36% and 42% believing it fine for gay Santas to exist. A majority of the over-65s believed it wasn’t OK.
And around 50 per cent are happy for an ethnic minority Santa, with most favouring a Middle Eastern Santa – perhaps a nod to his origins as Saint Nicholas, a 4th Century monk who lived in Turkey.
A poll by YouGov has now found that 60 per cent of 18–24-year-olds in the UK think it is ‘acceptable’ for Santa to be gay. However, 41% of all age groups, not just 17%, said that it wasn’t OK. This includes 17% of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents.
This survey was requested in response to an advertisement that showed Santa kissing a male.
The YouGov survey found that around 50 percent are satisfied with a Santa from an ethnic minority.
The modern depiction of Father Christmas as an old white man with a big bushy beard who wears a red and white suit was made globally famous by Coca Cola’s adverts of the 1930s
The YouGov poll also found that respondents mostly agreed that Santa should not be a woman – despite divisions over race and sexuality.
Respondents from both genders said around 45 percent believed Father Christmas should come from a woman.
The UK respondents were more open to seeing a white Santa than the US. In the US, two-thirds said that they would be happy to see a black Santa and 60% were okay with him being Asian/Middle Eastern.
This poll was created in response to an advertisement by Norway that showed Father Christmas kissing another man.
Around 50 per cent said they were happy for an ethnic minority Santa, with a Middle Eastern Santa having the highest level of acceptability – perhaps a nod to his origins as Saint Nicholas, a 4th Century monk who lived in Turkey
The YouGov poll also found that respondents mostly agreed that Santa should not be a woman – despite divisions over race and sexuality. 56% of respondents from women also believed Father Christmas should have to be a man.
Critics claimed that Santa was sexy in the commercial, which is being released to commemorate 50 years of the Norwegian decriminalisation homosexuality.
Critics claim that the advertisement, which was released in celebration of 50 years since Norway’s decriminalisation, sexualized Santa.
Matthew Smith, YouGov’s head of data journalism, said the results reflected a ‘a broader set of attitudes on making changes to firmly established pop culture figures’, after similar questions were raised about James Bond.
He added: ‘This suggests that opinion towards Father Christmas is not unique to the character himself’.