Is the spooky spirit dead?
Only 7% of the general public says Halloween is their favorite holiday. Instead, half (49%) of Americans say Christmas is their favorite holiday. Halloween lovers lean slightly more Hispanic and younger than the general public.
- 10% of Hispanics, 7% of whites, and 4% of Blacks say Halloween is their favorite holiday
- 9% of those age 18-34, 7% of those age 35-64, and 2% of those age 65+ say their favorite holiday is Halloween.
A third (30%) of the general public will not be participating in any Halloween activities. Unsurprisingly, Halloween aficionados will be participating in more activities than those who prefer other holidays.
About four in 10 Americans say they will dress up this Halloween.
Among those who will be in costume:
- 21% will be dressing up as a character from a TV show or movie
- 20% will dress as a traditional Halloween character, such as a witch, skeleton, or vampire
- 20% will create their costume from their own belongings
- 18% will purchase from Amazon
- 16% will purchase from a costume store
- 12% will purchase from a large retailer
COVID-19 haunts some individuals’ Halloween celebrations
Overall, almost three out of four Americans (72%) feel comfortable with their children going trick-or-treating. However, two camps of parents emerge: those who operate as they did pre-pandemic, and those who remain vigilant.
Parents whose children have not been vaccinated feel more comfortable than parents whose children are vaccinated. While half (50%) of parents of unvaccinated children feel very comfortable with their children trick or treating, only a third (35%) of parents with vaccinated children agree.
Additionally, parents of unvaccinated children and unvaccinated parents will be taking far less precautions than their counterparts with vaccinated children, with a third (34%) planning to take no precautions.
Read more about our polling methodology here.
