It’s official, Santa IS a bear! End of year GROWLr survey reveals all!

GROWLr has revealed the results of their end of year survey and the results are beary interesting including official confirmation that Santa is a bear!

In the survey, respondents were asked whether or not they consider Santa to be a Bear, and a massive 80% of those surveyed said yes! Well, I guess it’s safe to say Santa absolutely IS a Bear (and he’s got pics to prove it)!

In addition to their thoughts about Santa, GROWLr members were also asked about their Holiday plans, including whether or not Omicron was going to put a damper on celebrations this year, whether or not they wear masks when shopping in person, and how much online shopping they plan to do. The survey then wrapped up with questions about plans for the new year, including vacation destinations!

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How are bears celebrating this year? 

It’s very obvious that Bears just love the Holidays! When asked whether or not they look forward to the Holiday season, 75% of the surveyed users said yes, while 25% said no. And since so many GROWLr members seem to look forward to the Holidays, it’s also no surprise that 67% of the respondents love decorating for the holidays. Of those that love to decorate, 53% prefer artificial trees while 14% prefer real trees, and 33% actually prefer no tree at all.

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How is the pandemic affecting plans? 

It’s also clear that many of the Bears don’t expect the Grinch named Omicron to steal their Christmas! When asked if they expected COVID to affect the way they celebrate this year, 53% of the respondents said no while 47% of them said yes. When asked if they expected COVID to ruin their holiday travel plans, 72% of the surveyed members said no, while 28% said yes.

As far as holiday shopping is concerned, 67% of the surveyed members prefer to do their shopping online, while 33% still prefer in-store shopping. And of the members to prefer in-person shopping, 79% of them prefer to stay masked up while 21% prefer not to wear a mask when shopping.

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What have bears been listening to? 

When surveyed about their music tastes throughout the year, it’s no surprise that the reigning 2021 King of Music (and online cishet trolling), Lil’ Nas X, is at the top of the list! In addition to Lil Nas X, it seems that hip-hop/pop artist Doja Cat is now joining the ranks as a queer diva icon.

The list also featured some favorite divas, such as Lady Gaga, Adele, Taylor Swift, P!nk, Kelly Clarkson and Dua Lipa, along with a few music legends, such as Celine Dion, Elton John, Mariah Carey and The Beatles. And speaking of (or not speaking of) divas, we also peeped Ed Sheeran and Blake Shelton’s names on the list! What can we say, the Bears also love their crooners!

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What has 2022 got in store for bears?

Apparently, 2022 is the Year of the vacation! 67% of the respondents declared that they indeed plan to make New Year’s resolutions. And one of those resolutions must obviously be to take more vacations, since many of those surveyed named destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Florida, Europe, Canada and New York City! Check our sister magazine, Vacationer, for some travel inspiration!

This comes as no surprise, with the return of many popular Bear events in those locations, such as Key West Bear Weekend, BeefDip, International Bear Convergence, Lauderdale Bears and many others.

And GROWLr members also seem very prepared to travel, with 95% of the respondents confirming that they have been vaccinated, and 53% responding that they plan to take more precautions to protect themselves from the new Omicron variant.

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So, what are your plans for the new year? Now that you have an idea of where the Bears and Bear admirers are going to be, maybe you can plan a vacation to one of those hot Bear events. Make sure you get those vaccines before you go, though!

Download GROWLr on Google Play and the App Store today to get in on the fun!