At this time of year, we expect young adults to be spending their time enjoying festive social activities, but in reality the majority are suffering from 'Advent Anxiety', as a result of The Twelve 'Dismays of Christmas', the top problems highlighted by the nation.
The research coincides with the launch of #MerryFixmas from Direct Line and found that almost double the amount of people (nine out of ten) aged 25-34, compared to the national average, suffer from 'Advent Anxiety', a new term coined to describe festive-based stress.
In addition, 29 is highlighted as the age when Christmas becomes more stressful than enjoyable, with a quarter of people saying Christmas is more stressful than a trip to the dentist.
The top Twelve 'Dismays' of Christmas are (in the style of The Twelve Days of Christmas song)
On the first 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
The fall-out from a stressful shopping spree
(Christmas shopping 33%)
On the second 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Two giant bills (Overspending 33%)
On the third 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Three turkey failures
(Christmas dinner going wrong 23%)
On the fourth 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Four unwrapped presents
(Wrapping presents 20%)
On the fifth 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Five family quarrels
(Family arguments 20%)
On the sixth 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Six gifts not wanted
(Picking the wrong gift for someone 19%)
On the seventh 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Seven online delays
(Online presents not arriving on time 17%)
On the eighth 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Eight storms a raging
(Weather conditions ruining festive plans 16%)
On the ninth 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Nine forgotten people
(Forgetting to buy enough presents 15%)
On the tenth 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Ten out of stockists
(Shops not having intended gifts in stock 11%)
On the eleventh 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Eleven magic losses
(Keeping the magic of Christmas alive 11%)
On the twelfth 'dismay' of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Twelve ruined dinners
(Forgetting an ingredient for the Christmas meal 10%)
Georgina Hosang, Psychology Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London said "There are many things that have the potential to go wrong at this time of year, which means we all experience differing levels of stress. It's surprising to see that younger people are suffering from these worries the most with 70 per cent of 18 - 24 year olds experiencing 'Advent Anxiety'. Fixing the things that go wrong as soon as possible will help to alleviate the pressure that many of us are experiencing."
Wendy Pearson, head of marketing at Direct Line Insurance, said "The festive period should be full of fun and joy, and simple things going wrong can impact this. Our team of fixers have spent months preparing to tackle the Twelve 'Dismays' of Christmas, and in December they will be travelling the country on a mission to get people back on track."
The Direct Line #MerryFixmas team will be fixing all manner of festive problems to ensure people have a hassle-free Christmas. Tweet using the hashtag #MerryFixmas to let us know if you're in need of a fix, and follow @DirectLine_UK to keep track of all the #MerryFixmas activity across the country.
Direct Line's expert fixers have been listening out for problems on twitter over the last six months and have put almost 500 people's lives back on track by delivering innovative and useful fixes. #MerryFixmas is an evolution of #DirectFix, which has seen a team of fixers fixing a range of everyday problems including travel-related woes, weather issues and fashion dilemmas.
12 dismays of Christmas