As businesses head into the Christmas shopping season, the busiest time of the year for some, a new survey reveals that more consumers prefer seeing “Merry Christmas” signs to ones reading “Happy Holidays.”

A recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 70 percent of American adults prefer retailers to use “Merry Christmas” signs. Twenty-four percent of those polled would rather see “Happy Holidays.”

According to the survey, many adults across almost all demographic groups prefer “Merry Christmas,” with young adults feeling as strong as older adults. The poll showed that men have slightly stronger feelings in regards to seeing “Merry Christmas” than women.

The Rasmussen report found that 61 percent of black adults want to see “Merry Christmas,” and 75 percent of white adults agree. Meanwhile, 49 percent of all other races would also prefer “Merry Christmas.” Only 40 percent of those surveyed would rather see “Happy Holidays.”

The Rasmussen Reports survey, conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC, polled 1,000 adults nationwide Nov. 20-21. The report has a 95 percent level of confidence, with a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points.

Surveys of past Christmas seasons have revealed that 70 percent of Americans, in the polled group, recognize that Christmas is a “religious holiday celebrating the birth of Christ.”

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Stores pushed the envelope last month during Black Friday, with several retailers opening their doors Thanksgiving Day – a step that many said was “going too far.”

Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Best Buy had opened at midnight Thursday. While Walmart welcomed shoppers even earlier, with a 10 p.m. start time.

Pastor David Wright, CEO of DOersTV, told The Christian Post in a previous interview, that people, not the stores, were going too far – “especially Christians.”

“Black Friday should be called ‘Debt’ Friday,” Wright stated. “Stores are in business and businesses exist to make a profit.”

“As Christian consumers we must control the stores and not let the stores and the spirit of this world control us,” he added.

Black Friday spending was up 16 percent from last year – raking in $52.4 billion compared to $45 billion in 2010, according to a National Retail Federation survey.

Retailers are likely to make even bigger profits, as the day before Christmas usually brings the most business, based on previous records.