The perception of Christmas as a religious holiday is waning in the United States, but the holiday's cultural traditions are as important as ever to Americans, according to Pew Research poll results released Wednesday. Respondents were asked to compare their perception and practice of Christmas between childhood and adulthood.

Whereas 90 percent of Americans of all creeds will celebrate Christmas in 2013 — including 80 percent of non-Christians — Pew found that only about half view Christmas mostly as a religious holiday, and a full third of the population considers it to be primarily a cultural event.

The gradual erosion of religion’s role from American celebrations of Christmas — "taking the Christ out of Christmas," as some pious critics say — is especially pronounced among 18-to-29-year-olds, who are less likely than older Americans to attend Christmas religious services or to believe in the biblical miracle Christmas is said to celebrate: that Jesus was born of a virgin.

Pew researchers said in a news release that their findings were “consistent with other research showing that younger Americans are helping to drive the growth of the religiously unaffiliated population within the U.S.”

The poll also surveyed the popularity of certain traditions — Santa Claus, caroling, holiday cards and the like — among 2,001 respondents living in all 50 states, and found that, for the most part, an adult’s traditions reflect his or her childhood practices.

The vast majority of Americans will attend a Christmas gathering with family or friends and exchange gifts as they did when they were children, for instance.

About 70 percent of Americans cite spending time with family and friends as the part of Christmas they look forward to the most. Religious reflection or attending church was a distant second at just 11 percent.

But a few cultural traditions appear to be fading. While 81 percent of Americans sent Christmas cards as children, just 65 percent will make the effort this year. And only 79 percent of Americans will haul an evergreen into their living rooms this December, compared with the 92 percent who put up a tree as children.