Is Easter a ‘proper’ special occasion, or is it too commercialised?

Easter is still seen as true to its roots across the West, although Britons and French people in particular are more cynical

Easter marks the remembrance of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, after sacrificing himself for the sins of mankind. But are people marking the occasion in its own right, or because they are being bombarded by companies telling them to celebrate the season through the medium of buying things?

A new YouGov survey in 12 countries shows that people in each country still tend to think that Easter is celebrated for the right reasons, for now at least. We asked more than 13,000 people whether they thought Easter is celebrated more because it is a ‘proper’ special occasion, or if it was an occasion that people wouldn’t celebrate if it weren’t for pressure from commercial entities like greetings card companies.

Polish people are especially likely to say that Easter is celebrated nationally on its own terms, at 82%. Only 11% see celebrations marking the death and resurrection of Christ as too commercialised.

Danes are second most likely to feel Easter as an occasion that is still celebrated for good cause (73%) rather than because of commercial pressure. Spaniards (71%), and Swedes (69%) come third and fourth respectively.

French people and Britons are the most cynical about Easter celebrations. Only half of French people (51%) say the event is marked as a ‘proper’ special occasion, with 37% saying it is more of a commercialised event. In Britain, those figures stand at 54% and 40% respectively.