FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Chesterfield, Mo.) - As most farms and retail lots prepare to open for the holiday season, U.S. consumers plan to buy 31 million Real Christmas Trees this year, according to the results of a nationwide poll conducted by Harris Interactive®.
The poll – conducted for the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) – projects that 27% (31 million) U.S. households will purchase a Real Christmas Tree in 2006. In 2005, only 24% of the households indicated prior to Thanksgiving that they would purchase a Real Christmas Tree and 29% actually did during the season.
“We are encouraged by the fact that this is the highest percentage of households indicating prior to Thanksgiving they would buy a Real Christmas Tree since 2002,” said Beth Walterscheidt, President of NCTA. “It continues the trend of families going back to a more traditional Christmas with a natural tree.”
Only seven percent (7%) of households plan to purchase a new artificial tree in 2006, according to the poll. This would be a 14% decline in whole numbers from 2005 – 8 million vs. 9.3 million -- and the fewest since 2002.
“Personally, I’m not surprised that fewer people are buying a new fake tree considering some of the gimmicks the fake tree makers are coming up with,” said Walterscheidt. “Upside down trees last year and now black trees this year. You can’t have a traditional Christmas with that.”
The nation’s tree farmers are building on the success of an industry promotional campaign, including a Help Santa Find the Perfect Real Christmas Tree national essay contest (offering $25,000 in college scholarships to winning youths), an Internet interactive game, a video news release and a nationwide Trees for Troops program sponsored by the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx Corp. More than 11,000 Christmas Trees donated by an estimated 600 farms in 27 states will be delivered to troops and their families at 25 military bases in the U.S. and overseas in 17 countries.
“The ultimate goal of our promotional campaigns and our Trees for Troops effort is to encourage more Americans to enjoy a traditional Christmas experience with their loved ones,” stated Walterscheidt. “There’s just no better way to start the Christmas season than by going out as a family and picking your fresh Christmas Tree.”
The poll also asked consumers if their Christmas traditions and celebrations were more or less important than 10 years ago. Nearly one-third (29%) reported their traditions were “MUCH more important”. This emphasis on tradition has helped fuel the increase in Real Christmas Tree purchases the past few years.
“We know that traditions and memories are drivers for our product,” said Walterscheidt. “People who are more into Christmas are more likely to use a Real Tree instead of a fake one.” This is especially true among young adults just starting their own households and families. Previously unrelated research for the trade group has shown that those aged 18-29 prefer a Real Christmas Tree over the fake kind by a wider margin than other age groups. Importance of family traditions, as well as environmental concerns, is the main drivers for this group, and choosing a new, farm-grown Christmas Tree each year provides a traditional Christmas experience, along with being the much better environmental choice.
To learn more about the association and where to purchase a Real Christmas Tree, visit www.realchristmastrees.org. To learn more about the national Trees for Troops program or to support the cause visit www.treesfortroops.org.
The telephone poll – conducted November 17-20 – surveyed 1,004 nationally representative sample of adults aged 18 or over. The sampling error is +/- 3.1 percentage points. Projections in this study are based on the U.S. Census data estimates of the number of households in the U.S.
###
National Christmas Tree Association
16020 Swingley Ridge Rd
Suite 300
Chesterfield, MO 63017
636/449-5071
Fax: 636/449-5051
www.RealChristmasTrees.org
