What we search for at Christmas and New Year

Christmas and New Year are two rare moments when we have a little more time on our hands to follow our passions, indulge our interests and think about setting some #goals.  

So what’s really on Australia’s minds during the festive holiday season? 

As we near the end of the decade WhistleOut has dug into the internet archives and found the main topics Australians searched for over the last 10 years during the week of Christmas and the first week of the new year.  

What’s clear is that Australians have very different mindsets by New Year compared to the Christmas week.

When it comes to what we’re most interested in during the week of Christmas there are differences across the country, but some themes are consistent everywhere: we want to get out and about in the sunshine, we want to follow the major sports events, and we want to have a good time:

Most Googled topics at Xmas - Nationwide

1. Movies
2. Shopping
3. Camping & The Great Outdoors
4. Fireworks & New Year's Eve celebrations
5. Cricket
6. Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
7. Lottery

But specific interests vary depending on where you live. Here’s a summary of what our last 10 years of Christmas search habits say about what’s on each state and territory’s mind:

ACT - Shopping

Retail therapy is high on the priority list for people living in the Australian Capital Territory during Christmas, particularly searching for furniture and IKEA items.

NSW - Hitting the beach, hitting the sales, and getting ready for the NYE fireworks

New South Wales regularly tops the search lists for people looking for beaches to visit over the Christmas holidays, and for Boxing Day sales to take advantage of. Unsurprisingly they also search the most for information about New Year’s Eve celebrations and fireworks, suggesting they like to round off the year with a big old party.

NT - Boating, camping, fishing

What is apparent from the Google Trends data is that Territorians are extremely active on search compared to other parts of the country, topping interest levels in a number of topics. They also stand out with their search interest in outdoor activities like boating, camping and fishing.

QLD - Movies

It tops our list nationwide and Queenslanders lead the pack when it comes to searching for movies over Christmas, whether it’s to watch the seasonal blockbusters (like this year’s Star Wars) or just to escape the hot hot heat.

SA - Going camping

Camping is also high on the agenda for South Australians who top search interest for RV parks and actively search caravaning options.

TAS - Sports

Tasmanians really get into sport over Christmans, especially the Sydney-Hobart boat race and the Boxing Day test cricket. Camping is also high on their search agenda, and why not, it’s beautiful country there!

VIC - Cricket

Victorians lead the queries for cricket related searches with topics like the Boxing Day test, the Ashes and the Australian Cricket Team. It’s clear Victorians also like a gamble over Christmas, ranking amongst the highest for lottery related topics, and they want to find out about retail sales as well.

WA - Gambling

Gambling related searches are prominent across many states and territories, ranging from lotto to horse racing, and it's a topic that regularly shows up as one of WA's top search areas.

Search interest changes after the New Year

Once the final firework has burst and the dust settles on the year that was, the old adage about getting your affairs in order at the start of a new year appears to hold true. 

Search interest largely changes from having a good time towards more serious topics. For the most part, that is. Some people are still following major sports events or trying to find that pot of gold at the end of the lottery rainbow.

Here are the main topics Australians search for during the first week of a new year:

Most Googled topics at New Year - Nationwide

1. New Job
2. Health related topics
3. Education courses
4. Tennis events
5. Travel
6. Lottery
7. Fire services

Let's look at where the focus areas are for these main search topics across the country:

ACT - Education

New Year is often seen as a time to take stock and think about your future. This seems to hold true with many Australians looking to upskill in the new year, whether as part of a new year's resolution or not. Search for education courses is particularly high in the Australian Capital Territory, along with the Northern Territory.

NSW - Travel

It appears the festive holiday fun isn’t enough for the people of New South Wales, who have topped search interest in travel related topics over the last few years.

NT - Health topics

From searching out Weight Watchers & Lite’n Easy options through to medical conditions, people in the NT have the highest search rates for health related topics. Similar to the Christmas period, Territorians are again very prevalent in search across a wide range of topics.

QLD - Tennis

Queenslanders show lots of interest in the Brisbane International and forthcoming Australian Open tennis tournaments at the start of the year. As you might expect, Victorians then pick up the tennis search baton when the Australian Open starts the following week.

SA - Fire services

Unfortunately bushfires seem to frequently occur at the start of the year, with the CFA (South Australian County Fire Service) and other fire related topics being amongst the most searched terms by South Australians. 

TAS - Fire services

Google Trends shows frequent spikes in searches about fire and fire services by Tasmanians at new year, even more so than by South Australians. Unfortunately, we can probably expect Fire Services to be one of the highest searched terms across the country this coming new year given current fire conditions.

VIC - TattsLotto

Going for lottery gold is still on the agenda for Victorians in the new year, and in many other regions as well.  

WA - Looking for a new job

Search levels for job services like Seek and Indeed lift significantly at the start of the year, led by Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Searching for a winning Lotto ticket is also still high on the agenda in WA at new year.

Google Trends graphs

We've included a selection of Google Trends graphs for some of the search topics Australians have been most interested in over the last decade, which show regular peaks in search activity during the festive holiday period.

Kenny McGilvary

PR & Communications Manager | X

Kenny McGilvary has been working in the world of mobile phones and internet for over a decade with companies like Telstra, Motorola and HTC, and if your memory goes back far enough, brands like O2 and Sony Ericsson. He’s your primary contact for a nugget or two of commentary and insight into the latest telco developments, and he’s also the guy to speak to about WhistleOut’s industry and consumer research campaigns.

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