How Popular is Halloween?

Is Halloween one of your favorite holidays? Trick-or-treating, ghostly hayrides, and haunted houses are just some of the fun ways people around the world celebrate the day. A new survey from YouGovAmerica shows that nearly a quarter of Americans, or 23%, say Halloween is one of their favorite holidays.

A group of 1,000 adult Americans was questioned for the survey. Not surprisingly, the older the person, the less enthusiasm they have for dressing up and celebrating. Of seniors 65 and older, for example, only 11% say Halloween is one of their favorites.

Other big holidays, including Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Thanksgiving beat out Halloween for popularity – but almost half of Americans (47%) said they like Halloween more than Valentine’s Day.

In the young adult group, 39% prefer Halloween to the Fourth of July, and 43% of those under 30 prefer Halloween to New Year’s Eve.

In the political arena, Democrats and Republicans are mostly the same, with one big exception. The survey showed that 32% of Democrats prefer Halloween to the Fourth of July compared to only 15% of Republicans.

Can you be too old to go trick-or-treating? What is a good age to give up the holiday fun? According to the study, about one-in-four American adults say children can never be too old to go trick-or-treating.  About one-in-eight (12%) think 12 years old is a good cutoff age, while another 11% said children should stop going door-to-door at age 13.

Here’s some good news for trick-or-treaters: 63% of American adults said that they hand out tasty treats when ghosts and goblins come callin’; however, one-in-five (21%) admitted to pretending not to be home.

Celebrating Halloween has changed since the COVID pandemic began, making it more difficult to follow traditions. Fewer homes are serving goodies, and some cities have discussed banning trick-or-treating until the pandemic is over. But even with restrictions in place, Halloween is still thriving.