New Survey: How Digitization Affects the Christmas Spirit

Christmas is a time to gather with family and friends, but the constant connection also opens up new digital Christmas traditions. Just under a fifth of Swedes have noted that the use of digital devices is increasing with each passing Christmas, and 8 out of 10 expect to have screen time on Christmas Eve. One in three Swedes have felt annoyed that others have used a screen instead of being present in the moment at Christmas, but only one in ten Swedes say that they themselves have been distracted by the screen.

But many also believe that the screens add something to the Christmas celebrations. One in two Swedes believe that digitization makes it easier to prepare for Christmas, such as shopping and planning. Contact with loved ones is facilitated - as many as 7 out of 10 use their mobile phone to communicate with family and friends at Christmas. Documenting Christmas is done by 63 percent and 38 percent use their mobile phones to create a Christmas atmosphere in the home, for example through music and lighting. These are mainly women's tasks – for example, photography and filming is something 7 out of 10 women do, compared to half of the men.

"Swedes seem to have an ambivalent attitude towards screen use and social media at Christmas. Many people are grateful for how our screens facilitate the organization of celebrations and contact with loved ones. While others may be stressed by the perfect and polished content they see in their feeds," says Lisa Thorell, Professor of Psychology at Karolinska Institute.

And a large part of the pictures and videos taken at Christmas end up on social media. 4 out of 10 Swedes say they share Christmas moments on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. At the same time, so-called "Christmas bragging", sharing seemingly perfect Christmas pictures on social media, is an annoyance for just under a third, and a tenth feel that their Christmas is negatively affected by seeing other people's shares on social media. Fifteen percent also feel that social media contributes to increasing the financial stress before Christmas shopping.

Which Christmas tradition do you think will die out as a result of digitization?

• "Go and buy the newspaper", 51%

• Watch Kalle Anka (Donald Duck) at 3pm, 36%

• Believe in Santa, 22%

Which Christmas moment do you like to share on social media?

• Cooking and baking, 20%

• Christmas lunch, 19%

• Family picture, 17%

• Decoration, 15%

• Decorate the Christmas tree, 15%

Who would you most like to receive a Christmas greeting from?

• The King, 35%

• The Crown Princess, 35%

• Tareq Taylor, 20%

• Babben Larsson, 19%

• Zlatan, 17%

New technology can reduce Christmas stress

The survey also shows that one in two Swedes is annoyed by the fact that Christmas is sneak starting, and a tenth have had to make last-minute purchases because Christmas candy was eaten too early. 4 out of 10 admit that they have secretly eaten Christmas chocolate before Christmas.

To help reduce Christmas stress, Tele2 has developed Chocolate Bytes, a connected chocolate box that detects the praline thief before the candy runs out. The chocolate box has a sensor that detects if the lid is opened and pings your phone. You can be in another room or at work and still keep an eye on whether the box is opened.

Chocolate Bytes by Tele2 is available in one copy and is available for consumers to win via a social media competition. For more information, visit https://www.tele2.se/nyheter/chocolate-bytes.

For more information, please contact: Jessica Hjälmered, Senior Communication Manager, Tele2, +46 (0)8 121 47 400 / jessica.hjalmered@tele2.com

Follow Tele2 on our press room: www.tele2.com/sv/media

*About the survey

The Tele2 survey was conducted by Kantar Sifo in Kantar Media's web panel (Sifo Panel) during the period 11–14 November 2023. A total of 1072 people aged 18–79 years were interviewed, of which 1029 stated that they celebrated Christmas. The web panel is nationally representative recruited based on random samples. There is no self-recruitment in Kantar Media's web panel (Sifo Panel).