Ho ho how do MBTI Types differ at Christmas?

MBTI Type, Christmas, and the last ten years

Is Christmas a time for family, togetherness and tradition, or just stress, hassle and headache? And how is this influenced by our personality? Over 600 people completed our survey this year into Type and Christmas; here is a snapshot of the results (and how they compare to a similar survey we carried out way back in 2006). 

For a really quick overview, click our Christmas jumper-themed infographic. Otherwise, read on!

 What does Christmas mean to you? 

Three quarters of our group thought Christmas was about family, friends and togetherness; other common choices were time off work, eating and drinking, religious celebrations… and stress!

Interestingly, people with preferences for Sensing and Thinking seemed to take this question more literally and were more likely to say Christmas means time off work, than those with preferences for iNtuition and Feeling. Introverts and iNtuitives were more likely to cite a religious or spiritual meaning for Christmas.

 What is your approach to Christmas shopping?

As expected, we found that those with a Judging preference are more likely to start and finish their Christmas shopping earlier than those with a Perceiving preference; over half of Js have finished by the end of November, and over a third of Ps won’t finish until Christmas Eve. Those with a Sensing preference are also more likely to shop earlier than those with an iNtuition preference.

One of the key differences between today and 10 years ago is that more people shop online now. Most people (74%) said they would do at least some, if not all, their shopping online; in 2006, only 48% said they would.

Why do people shop online? Most people, especially those with a Thinking preference, said this is because it is quick and efficient. However, those with a Feeling preference are three times more likely than Thinkers to shop online so that they can find that perfect gift.

 Are you sending Christmas cards?

70% of people said they would send Christmas cards or e-cards this year. We found that compared to those with an iNtuition preference, those with a Sensing preference are more likely to send physical cards; iNtuitives are more likely than Sensing types to send e-cards.

 How many parties will you attend?

Whilst Extraverts said they would attend on average 2-3 parties, Introverts were attending 1-2 parties. Interestingly, for both, the more parties being attended, the more they expect to enjoy Christmas, busting the common myth that all Introverts hate parties! 

 How many people will you spend Christmas day with?

Most people said they would spend Christmas day with between 3 and 10 people. Introverts are significantly likely to spend the day with fewer people than Extraverts. We found that the more people they spend the day with, the more Extraverts are expecting to enjoy Christmas. This is not the case for Introverts.

 Are you likely to use social media on the day?

This question split the group in half; 52% of people said they would use social media and 48% said they wouldn’t. For those who said they would, most said they would use it for under 1 hour. Facebook was the most popular, with 93% of people intending to use it on Christmas day.

Extraverts who said they would definitely use social media are expecting to enjoy Christmas significantly more than Extraverts who said they would definitely not. Again, this is not the case for Introverts!

 Which Christmas character do you identify with?

24% of people identified with Mother Christmas; the majority of survey respondents were female after all! The next most popular choices were Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (16%), Buddy the Elf (14%) and Father Christmas (12%). However, those with a preference for Extraversion are significantly more likely to identify with Buddy the Elf; those with a preference for Introversion are more likely to identify with the Snowman or Elsa from Frozen.

 What is Santa’s Type?

Whilst one ISTJ refused to answer this question because “Santa isn’t real!”, the most popular guesses for Santa’s Type were ESFJ and ENFJ.

 How much are you expecting to enjoy this Christmas?

On a scale of 0 (not at all) to 10 (very much), the average response was 7.7, with 80% of people choosing 6 out of 10 or higher – a very similar result to ten years ago. There is no one Type that enjoys Christmas most, but different factors are likely to contribute to each Type’s enjoyment. We’ll save the details of this for your Christmas present next year, but for now – have a merry Christmas!