The results are in for the fifth Great Kiwi Christmas Survey. Photo / picjumbo.com
The results of the Great Kiwi Christmas Survey are in for 2022 and lamb has been voted the most popular protein on our plates this Christmas.
For Christmas dinner, New Zealand lamb was the winner with 38.3 per cent of the vote.
Ham came a close second at 35 per cent and third in line was beef with 13.1 per cent.
It’s the fifth Great Kiwi Christmas Survey, which is run by Retail Meat New Zealand, in conjunction with Beef + Lamb New Zealand and NZPork.
It wasn’t all about meat either, as the poll of over 1000 Kiwis covered everything from what style of Christmas they will be having, to when is the appropriate time to begin playing Christmas music.
Most Kiwis are opting for a traditional style meal with a barbecue as a second preference and 18.5 per cent of respondents said they will be catering for a big crowd.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief executive, Kit Arkwright, was not surprised by the result, as lamb was the centrepiece of many Kiwi family Christmas tables.
“It’s a traditional favourite for the Christmas table and is not only delicious but can easily feed a crowd.”
Of those polled 36.8 per cent said they expect to have ten or more people for Christmas Day and 40.2 per cent will spend 2-3 days preparing for their Christmas feast.
Meanwhile, 58.3 per cent said they will be eating their main Christmas meal between midday and 2 pm on Christmas Day with 24 per cent eating after 2 pm in the afternoon.
For dessert, pavlova took out the top spot once again, with 68.5 per cent. Trifle came in second and strawberries and ice cream took out third place.
As for the aftermath, 61.8 per cent said they expect to have at least two days’ worth of leftovers to wade through.
Spending time with family was the favourite part of the festive season for 69.1 per cent of respondents - which was up from 61.6 per cent from last year.
The lifting of Covid restrictions meant 17 per cent of respondents were celebrating with more family and friends this year but 39.6 per cent said they would be scaling down their Christmas due to economic pressure.
The question of when to begin playing Christmas music received the highest percentage of votes with 79.2 per cent agreeing that it should only be played in December.