A third of children aged between ten and 13 do not know that Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, a survey of 2,000 families has found.
The poll also found that only ten per cent of adults can correctly state four facts about Jesus’ birth and half of those surveyed say it is not relevant to their Christmas celebrations.
Christmas Starts With Christ, the group which commissioned the survey, said one problem was how schools discussed the festival.
Misguided
Francis Goodwin, from the group, said: “Britain is fast becoming one of the world’s most secular countries.
“As nations get richer, they think they no longer need God”.
He also said there is a “problem with political correctness in schools” which think “they should not focus on the Christian roots of Christmas because of inclusivity”.
“But it is misguided. People of other faiths are not offended”, he commented.
Values
Last year a survey of 2,000 people showed that 12 per cent of Londoners think the Bible features Father Christmas.
It also showed that seven per cent of the public think Christmas trees are in the Bible, a proportion which nearly doubles among 18 to 35-year-olds.
Colin Hart, Director of The Christian Institute, said at the time: “This poll shows a worrying lack of knowledge about our country’s Christian heritage that has shaped our history, institutions and laws, even who we are and our values.”