Holiday Greeting Flap: Ho, Ho, Hum
As shoppers flock to the stores for holiday gifts, some express mixed feelings about the nation's largest retailer. Nearly every American lives near enough a Wal-Mart to shop there, and 84% say they have done so in the past year. Praise for the retailer's low prices, wide selection and convenience flow freely, and 81% of those with a Wal-Mart nearby say it is a good place to shop.
Somewhat less glowing, however, are judgments about Wal-Mart's effect on communities and the nation as a whole, and a third of the public (34%) rates it a bad place to work. Overall, 69% of those familiar with Wal-Mart have a favorable opinion of the company. Still, 31% have an unfavorable view, which is a considerably higher negative rating than is accorded to many other major corporations.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted among 1,502 adults from Dec. 7-11, finds the public is not overly concerned by the controversy over Christmas greetings and holiday displays:
* By a substantial 60%-23% margin the public does prefer "Merry Christmas" to non-religious welcomes such as "Season's Greetings." But given the choice, a 45% plurality says it does not matter much either way.
* More Americans are bothered, at least to some degree, by the commercialization of Christmas (52%) than by opposition to the display of religious symbols in public places (35%).
* A great majority of Americans (83%) say displays of Christmas symbols should be allowed in public places. But fewer than half (44%) approve of Christmas symbols being displayed alone, without Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other holiday symbols.
The new Pew survey also shows that several major corporations - including Johnson & Johnson, Google and Home Depot - are held in nearly universal esteem by those familiar enough with the firms to rate them. But fewer than half of those able to rate Exxon Mobil and Halliburton have a positive opinion of these companies.
Wal-Mart a Good Place to Shop But Some Critics To Holiday Greeting Flap: Ho, Ho, Hum <http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=265>View complete report