Locals attend mass at their local parishes and spend the day relaxing with family and friends.
The survey also indicated that 35 percent of Catholics said they attend Mass weekly.
Several Santiago residents contacted over the weekend said they had been told to attend Mass by bosses at state-owned companies.
But figures from Poland's Catholic information agency say that only 10% regularly attend Mass and carefully follow the Church's teachings.
By European standards American Catholicism is thriving and vibrant, with about 64m adherents, one-third of whom attend Mass fairly regularly.
It's one reason why more than two-thirds of Argentines describe themselves as Catholic, but fewer than 10 percent regularly attend mass.
Only 14.4% of Spaniards regularly attend mass, and legal changes to allow divorce, gay marriage and abortion have caused concern to the Church.
But John Paul II, despite being wildly popular, could not reverse its decline in his native Poland, where it is no longer socially obligatory to attend mass.
Even so, the figures showed the divisive nature of the debate: Of those who attend Mass regularly, only 46% supported marriage for priests while 66% of those who attended less regularly supported marriage.
Hundreds of pilgrims are expected to attend a Mass in Liverpool, which begins at 15:00 GMT.
"He's the right person for the church now, " said Patricia Daste, a 50-year-old who flew from Buenos Aires to attend the Mass.
He will also be allowed to attend Sunday mass under police escort.
The Mexican National Confederation of Tourism estimates that 540, 000 people -- in addition to the locals who will attend the Mass -- will travel to Guanajuato.
Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said last week that the Holy See did not formally invite diplomatic missions to attend the Mass, instead simply informing countries through diplomatic channels that the event is taking place.
As usual the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, will also attend the Christmas Mass.
While Pope Emeritus Benedict lived a secluded life inside the Vatican (and plans to live an even more secluded existence in the former convent which is being prepared as his new home in a corner of the Vatican Gardens), Pope John Paul II lived a more gregarious existence, often inviting personal guests to attend his early morning mass and to share his breakfast.
Up to a million people are expected to attend Sunday's open-air mass in Madrid, where two priests and three nuns are to be canonised.
The key event will be the big outdoor mass celebrated by the pope on Sunday and German organizers are still hoping one million young people will attend.
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