The holiday season is a time for spreading cheer, joy, and gift-giving. Despite these positive aspects, it can also be a time of stress for many American celebrators. Just how stressed are consumers about the holidays this year?
The latest CivicScience data indicate that the percentage of holiday celebrants feeling ‘more’ stressed has fallen two percentage points from last year to 49%, with a slight increase in those who are ‘less’ stressed. Like last year, women and parents continue to be the most likely to feel heightened stress during the holidays, though this has eased slightly, with the percentage dropping from 58% to 56% among both groups.
Gen Zers aged 18-24, on the other hand, defy this trend of reporting less stress. Not only do they continue to lead in feeling ‘more’ holiday stress, but they are now five points more likely to report feeling more stressed than they did last year. Conversely, Americans aged 25-44 report a noticeable reduction in holiday stress, with an eight-point decrease in those who are ‘more’ stressed than last year.
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What might be contributing to this noteworthy rise of holiday stress among Gen Z? CivicScience data highlights three possible key factors:
Holiday Debt – More than one in five (21%) of Gen Z adults say they plan to take on at least some debt to buy holiday gifts this year, outpacing all other generations by at least two points. Another 19% say they are still unsure whether they’ll take on debt, which also leads their older counterparts. This coincides with high intent to use Buy Now, Pay Later among Gen Z. They’re also more concerned than Gen Pop about paying their holiday debt back (59% to 56%).
Student Loan Debt – Student loans are another form of debt weighing heavily on Gen Zers as student loan forgiveness faces an uncertain future in the incoming Trump Administration. While data show that concern about paying student loans has risen across the board, a strong majority (69%) of Gen Z student loan holders are now at least ‘somewhat’ concerned about paying them back, an increase of five points over last year.
Post-Election Stress – It’s been over a month since the election, and CivicScience has explored its impacts on economic sentiment and shopping habits. New data highlight its impacts on consumer stress levels. A plurality of respondents among Gen Pop report increased stress levels following the election (39%), compared to 26%, who said their stress has decreased. Post-election stress levels jump significantly among Gen Z to 47%, while just 13% report a decrease in stress following the election. Post-election stress is also elevated in the 55+ demographic as well.
Finally, Gen Z also has differences when it comes to what specifically about the holiday season stresses them out compared to Gen Pop (among those stressed). While gift-buying leads among both groups, Gen Z is five points less likely to be stressed about buying gifts. Instead, they are more likely to say cooking/baking (+5 points) and hosting (+4 points) cause them the most stress during the holidays. They’re also three points less likely to be stressed about having to spend time with relatives and traveling.
Join the Conversation: How do you cope with holiday stress?
While overall holiday stress has eased slightly, Gen Z stands out as an outlier, facing rising pressures tied to financial concerns and political uncertainty. As they emerge as a key demographic, recognizing and understanding their unique challenges could shape more meaningful engagement and solutions for retailers during the remainder of the holiday season and the year ahead.
