London, England - The vast majority of Britons oppose moves to secularise Christmas, according to a new poll.
The survey found that 80% believe celebrating the birth of Christ remains an important part of the festival.
The study follows a string of high-profile media reports of apparent attempts to rebrand Christmas on secular lines as a "winter" celebration.
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, is among those who have attacked what he called "Wintervalitis" - a reference to the decision eight years ago by Birmingham City Council to rename Christmas "Winterval".
Recent controversies include a school which took turkey off its festive menu in favour of halal chicken and a council which chose not to use the word Christmas on its cards, opting for "Season's Greetings".
The survey, carried out for the religious thinktank Theos, also found that 62% said Christmas made them think about spiritual matters while 77% said that it made them think about what is "important" to them.
The poll conducted between December 8 and 10 as the festive shopping rush was getting under way also found that 89% believed that Christmas is too commercialised.
Of 1,000 adults polled by telephone by CommunicateResearch, 86% rated spending time with family and friends as the best thing about Christmas.
Just 7% picked time off work at the best thing about the festival, with 3% opting for food and drink and only 2% highlighting presents.
By contrast, 43% cited financial pressures as the worst thing about Christmas, with 26% highlighting the absence of loved ones.