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24 Dec, 2014

Princess Cruises “Relaxation Report”: Holiday season sees women get more stressed than men

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Dec. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — With the holidays in full swing, a new survey released by Princess Cruises found that this is a more stressful time for women than men, with women feeling more pressure cooking meals and hosting parties, while men feel more stress by shopping and receiving unwanted gifts.

The survey also found that nearly two-thirds (61%) of those surveyed need a vacation to recover from the holidays, with women (65%) saying they need a vacation more than men (56%).

The survey is a special holiday edition of the line’s annual “Relaxation Report” which helps to gauge consumer attitudes toward vacation and relaxation habits.

Causes of Holiday Stress

While the holidays are a joyful time to spend with family and friends, the busy-ness of the season does cause some stress. Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) report they feel stressed during the holidays with women (53%) being more stressed than men (37%).  When asked what causes holiday stress, woman cited cooking special meals (39%) and hosting holiday parties (33%), while the stressors for men were shopping for presents (41%), attending parties (15%) and receiving unwanted gifts (17%).

And over two-thirds (69%) agree that hosting family is hard work, with women feeling this more so than men (72% vs. 65%).

Bringing Holiday Joy

When asked what they most enjoy about preparing for the holidays, respondents differed by gender.  Nearly half of women (49%) like shopping for gifts while only 30% of men like this activity. More women than men also like giving presents to others (68% vs. 59%), decorating for the season (54% vs. 38%), and listening to holiday music (49% vs. 38%).

Holiday Getaways

The survey found that while nearly three-quarters (72%) take vacation time during the holidays, nearly two-thirds (61%) need a vacation to recover from the holidays, with women saying they need a vacation more than men (65% vs. 56%).

And when asked what type of post-holiday vacation is most desired, warm weather is definitely preferred, with nearly two-thirds (64%) selecting a beach visit and 61% desiring an ocean cruise vacation to a warm weather destination.

The least desired vacations cited were visiting a theme park and skiing (36% and 30%, respectively).

About the Survey

The online survey was conducted using a nationally representative sample from uSamp of 982 U.S. adults ages 18+, during the week of December 15, 2014, and tabulated by the survey tool Qualtrics.