Christmas Stress and Loneliness Statistics 2026: 50 UK Facts

Christmas is joyful for many people. For others it is expensive, tiring or lonely.

Both can be true in the same household, and both deserve to be taken seriously. Here is what the data says.

This page collects the most reliable British figures on festive stress, money worries, family tension and loneliness, with a focus on older people. Every figure links to its source, so you can check it yourself. For the rest of the season, see our Christmas statistics roundup.

How stressful is Christmas?

1. Women are more likely to feel stressed than men

In YouGov's big Christmas survey of 4,243 Britons in November 2025, 30% of women said Christmas stresses them, against 20% of men.¹

2. Women carry the gift shopping

In the same 2025 survey, 46% of women said they do all the gift shopping in their household, compared with 10% of men.¹

3. One in four Britons felt stressed in 2021

In December 2021, 26% of British adults said they felt stressed about Christmas, and 5% felt very stressed. Among women the figure was 33%, among men 20%.⁵

4. Presents and costs are the biggest stress points

Among people celebrating Christmas in 2021, 46% found buying presents stressful and 45% were stressed about costs. 25% found cooking Christmas dinner stressful.⁵

5. Nearly half of shoppers were stressed in 2023

In a November 2023 YouGov survey of 2,176 adults, 45% of Christmas shoppers said they were very or somewhat stressed.⁶

6. Choosing gifts is hard for more than half

In the same survey, 53% of Christmas shoppers said it was difficult to choose gifts. Among those aged 55 and over the figure was 58%.⁶ What happens when the choice misses is covered in our unwanted Christmas gifts statistics.

7. Mintel found 36% stressed back in 2018

Mintel reported in December 2018 that 36% of British adults feel stressed at Christmas, including 6% who feel extremely stressed. 42% felt somewhat relaxed.⁷

Money worries and Christmas debt

8. A third worry about their finances

In 2025, 33% of Britons said they are typically worried about the impact of Christmas on their personal finances. In households with incomes under £30,000 the share rises to 42%.¹

9. The median festive spend is £550

Among people who gave an answer across five spending categories, the expected median festive spend in 2025 was £550.¹ See also our Christmas spending statistics.

10. One in five borrowed for Christmas 2025

In a YouGov survey of 2,093 adults on 6 and 7 January 2026, 19% said they borrowed money to cover Christmas 2025 expenses.²

11. Presents are the main reason for borrowing

Of those who borrowed for Christmas 2025, 73% did so for gifts, 39% for food and drink and 21% for everyday bills.²

12. Credit cards lead, buy now pay later follows

Borrowers used credit cards (68%), buy now pay later (29%) and overdrafts (14%). 9% borrowed from friends or family.²

13. Most debts are small, but not all

Of Christmas 2025 borrowers, 38% borrowed under £250 and 28% between £250 and £499. 11% borrowed £1,000 or more.²

14. A quarter planned to borrow in 2023

A Money and Pensions Service survey of 3,016 UK adults in 2023 found that 26% were likely to borrow or use credit over the festive period.⁸

15. 6.5 million expected to struggle to heat their homes

An Opinium survey of 2,000 adults for National Debtline in 2023 estimated that 6.5 million people (14%) would struggle to heat their homes at Christmas, and 2.7 million (5%) would have to choose between food and presents.⁹

16. Six in ten worried about the cost of Christmas food

A Post Office survey of 2,000 adults in 2023 found that 61% were worried about the cost of food and Christmas dinner, up 16% on the year before.¹⁰

17. Debt calls peak just after Christmas

Citizens Advice helped 13,365 people with debt in the first working week of January 2026. Its peak day the year before was 21 January 2025, with 3,630 people.¹¹

18. One in three people in problem debt cannot afford essentials

Citizens Advice surveyed 2,000 adults in problem debt in England and Wales: 35% had been unable to buy essentials such as food in the previous six months.¹¹

Family tension and pressure

19. Half of Britons expected arguments in 2022

In a Censuswide poll of 2,033 adults in late 2022, 52% expected family arguments at Christmas, and 73% of them blamed the cost of living.¹²

20. Heating and gifts caused the most expected conflict

Turning the heating on was the top expected source of conflict (20%), followed by how much to spend on gifts (18%) and the cost of electricity for Christmas lights (15%).¹²

21. Money is the biggest worry

In the same poll, 28% named money worries as their biggest concern, ahead of mental health (15%), pressure to create the perfect Christmas (12%) and pressure to socialise (12%).¹²

22. More than a third buy gifts they cannot afford

In 2022, 36% of people said they felt pressure to buy gifts they could not really afford for loved ones.¹²

23. Some avoid hosting or stay apart

In the Relate poll, 28% said they were avoiding hosting Christmas and 22% would not spend Christmas with their family.¹²

24. A quarter find seeing certain relatives stressful

In 2021, 24% of people celebrating Christmas found hosting family stressful and 24% found seeing certain family members stressful.⁵

Loneliness in Britain

25. 7% of people in England feel lonely often or always

In the Community and Engagement Survey 2025/26, with more than 175,000 responses, 7% of people aged 16 and over felt lonely often or always, the same as a year earlier.³

26. Younger adults report more loneliness than older ones

In the same survey, 9% of 16 to 24 year olds felt lonely often or always, against 4% of 65 to 74 year olds.³

27. Disability and deprivation raise the risk

14% of disabled people felt lonely often or always, compared with 3% of non-disabled people. In the most deprived areas the figure was 11%, in the least deprived 4%.³

28. A quarter felt lonely at least some of the time

ONS data from 13 December 2023 to 1 January 2024, covering the Christmas period, showed that 27% of adults in Great Britain felt lonely always, often or some of the time. 7% felt lonely always or often.¹³

29. About 3.8 million people live with chronic loneliness

The Campaign to End Loneliness cites around 7.1% of people in Great Britain, about 3.83 million, as chronically lonely in 2023, up from 6% in 2020.¹⁴

30. Most people who have felt lonely never told anyone

An Ipsos survey of 2,215 UK adults in May 2025 found that 82% had personally experienced loneliness. Of those, 61% had never told anyone.¹⁵

31. Stigma keeps people quiet

In the same survey, 56% of all adults chose barriers that point to stigma, such as embarrassment, shame or fear of being judged.¹⁵

Older people at Christmas

32. 1.5 million older people expected to eat dinner alone

Age UK, using a Yonder survey of 2,659 people aged 65 and over in late 2025, estimated that 1.5 million older people would eat Christmas dinner alone.⁴

33. Half no longer feel the joy

In the same research, 6.3 million older people (one in two) said they no longer feel the joy they once felt at Christmas.⁴

34. 1 million feel more isolated than at any other time

About 1 million older people said in 2025 that they feel more isolated at Christmas than at any other time of year. 670,000 expected to see or speak to no one.⁴

35. Half hope for a phone call

6.8 million older people (half) hoped to receive a call on Christmas Day 2025.⁴

36. 1.4 million ate alone in the 2024 estimate

A year earlier, in a Yonder survey of 2,755 people aged 65 and over in October 2024, Age UK estimated that 1.4 million would eat dinner alone on Christmas Day.¹⁶

37. For 2 million, Christmas feels like any other day

In the 2024 research, 2 million older people said Christmas is a hard time because for them it feels just like any other day.¹⁶

38. 2.3 million older people wish for company

In December 2023, Age UK reported that 2.3 million older people wish they had someone to spend time with at Christmas. 1.6 million find Christmas Day the hardest day of the year.¹⁷

Drink, pressure and the festive social calendar

39. Two in three drinkers plan to drink more

In a OnePoll survey of 2,300 adults in November 2024 for Drinkaware, 64% of UK drinkers intended to drink more over Christmas than at other times, and 75% of 18 to 34 year olds.¹⁸

40. Young adults feel more peer pressure to drink

31% of 18 to 34 year olds said friends put more pressure on them to drink at Christmas, against 16% of all adults.¹⁸

41. More than half expected to binge drink on Christmas Day

In the same survey, 57% of adults said they would binge drink on Christmas Day.¹⁸

42. Over half planned to cut back in the new year

56% of drinkers intended to reduce their alcohol consumption in 2025.¹⁸

Workload and stress at work

The Health and Safety Executive has free guidance for employers on preventing work-related stress.

43. Two thirds of employees feel stressed about work

An Acas poll by YouGov of 2,000 employees in 2019 found that 66% had felt stressed or anxious about work in the last 12 months. Among under 35s it was 76%.¹⁹

44. Workload is the main cause

In the same poll, 60% named workload as the cause of work stress, ahead of management style (42%) and work-life balance (35%).¹⁹

45. 22.1 million working days lost to stress, depression and anxiety

The Health and Safety Executive reports that 22.1 million working days were lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain in 2024/25.²⁰

46. Two thirds of work-related ill health days

That is about 62% of the 35.7 million days lost to work-related ill health in 2024/25, with an average of 22.9 days off per person affected.²⁰

47. One in ten workers feels lonely at work

According to figures cited by the Campaign to End Loneliness, about one in ten workers feel lonely at work often or always.¹⁴

Where people turn for help

You do not have to wait for a crisis to reach out. Samaritans answer on 116 123, free, day or night. Older people can call The Silver Line for a chat at any hour.

48. Samaritans expected about 30,000 calls in December 2024

Samaritans expected around 30,000 calls in December 2024, including about 800 on Christmas Day. Anyone can call free, day or night, on 116 123.²¹

49. Older people value helplines

3.5 million older people (a quarter) said in 2024 that they feel comforted knowing helplines and services are available.¹⁶

50. The Silver Line answered 3,353 calls in one Christmas week

Age UK reports that its Silver Line Helpline answered 3,353 calls (45,860 minutes) in the Christmas week before its 2025 research, and its Telephone Friendship Service made more than 70,000 minutes of calls.⁴

What the numbers mean for businesses

Three findings stand out for employers and brands. Money worries are the most common Christmas strain, so a small gift that costs the recipient nothing lands well. Loneliness is widespread, often unspoken and not limited to older people, so a warm, low pressure message works better than forced cheer. And work stress does not pause in December, so a team that feels noticed copes better.

Ideas for small, no pressure gestures in December are collected on our pages for employees, customers and businesses. See also our workplace Christmas statistics.

My take

Frequently asked questions

How many people feel stressed at Christmas in the UK?

It depends on the question. In YouGov's 2025 survey, 30% of women and 20% of men said Christmas stresses them. In 2021, 26% of British adults felt stressed.

How many people borrow money for Christmas?

A YouGov survey in January 2026 found that 19% of UK adults borrowed money to cover Christmas 2025, most often for presents and mostly on credit cards.

How many older people are alone at Christmas?

Age UK estimated in 2025 that 1.5 million older people would eat Christmas dinner alone, and that 670,000 would see or speak to no one.

How common is loneliness in the UK?

In England, 7% of people aged 16 and over feel lonely often or always (2025/26). ONS found that 27% of adults in Great Britain felt lonely at least some of the time around Christmas 2023.

What causes family arguments at Christmas?

Money comes first. In a 2022 Relate poll, 52% expected arguments and 73% of them blamed the cost of living. Heating and gift budgets were the top triggers.

Where can I find help if Christmas is hard?

You can talk to a GP, to Age UK (for older people) or to a friend. Lines are open on Christmas Day, including the Silver Line for older people.

Where can I use these statistics?

You are welcome to quote them in articles, reports and presentations. Please link to this page as the source.

Sources

1. 1YouGov UK, Big survey on Christmas 2025 (yougov.com)
2. 2YouGov UK, Borrowing to cover Christmas 2025 (yougov.com)
3. 3DCMS, Community and Engagement Survey 2025/26, loneliness (gov.uk)
4. 4Age UK, Christmas loneliness research 2025 (Yonder) (ageuk.org.uk)
5. 5YouGov UK, How stressed are Brits about Christmas 2021 (yougov.com)
6. 6YouGov UK, The stress of gift shopping 2023 (yougov.com)
7. 7Mintel, Christmas stress 2018 (mintel.com)
8. 8Which?, citing Money and Pensions Service survey 2023 (which.co.uk)
9. 9Money Advice Trust (National Debtline), Christmas survey by Opinium 2023 (moneyadvicetrust.org)
10. 10Post Office, Christmas food cost survey 2023 (mynewsdesk.com)
11. 11Citizens Advice, Debt help in January 2026 (citizensadvice.org.uk)
12. 12Relate, Family arguments at Christmas 2022 (Censuswide) (relate.org.uk)
13. 13ONS, Public opinions and social trends, December 2023 to January 2024 (ons.gov.uk)
14. 14Campaign to End Loneliness, Facts and statistics (campaigntoendloneliness.org)
15. 15Ipsos UK for Marmalade Trust, Loneliness survey 2025 (ipsos.com)
16. 16Age UK, Christmas loneliness research 2024 (Yonder) (ageuk.org.uk)
17. 17Age UK, Older people at Christmas, press release December 2023 (ageuk.org.uk)
18. 18Drinkaware, Festive drinking survey 2024 (drinkaware.co.uk)
19. 19Acas, Stress and anxiety at work (YouGov) 2019 (acas.org.uk)
20. 20Health and Safety Executive, Working days lost 2024/25 (hse.gov.uk)
21. 21Samaritans, Christmas 2024 (samaritans.org)