uSamp, a leader in providing targeted panels for global consumer and business research, unveiled a study on November 23, 2013 of Americans’ attitudes about Thanksgiving, including sentiments about important traditions, the menu, Black Friday shopping, and the extremely rare overlap this year with the first day of Hanukkah.
“A special time to reflect and give thanks”
Andy Jolls, SVP of Marketing, uSamp said, “Our latest study confirms that more than half of Americans enjoy being with family on Thanksgiving, though one-fifth of those same people worry about family tension that the holiday offers in. Also particularly interesting is the fact that less than a quarter of Americans know that the first day of Hanukkah overlaps with Thanksgiving this year for the first time since 1888, and amazingly will not occur again for 77,000 years. In other words, this convergence is happening only once in our lifetimes.
Nearly 1000 American consumers answered the following questions about the Thanksgiving holidays. The full study is available upon request and a link to the infographic can be found here: http://blog.usamp.com/blog/2013/11/23/gobble-gobble-what-americans-love-and-loathe-about-thanksgiving/
Which of the following is your favorite holiday?
- Thanksgiving garnered a respectable 24 percent of the vote, but the winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwaanza) came in strongest at 67 percent.
What do you like best about Thanksgiving?
- “The gathering of family” was the top choice at 52 percent; followed by “the food” at 32 percent.
- “A special time to reflect and give thanks” was the best part for a sentimental 15 percent.
What is the worst part about Thanksgiving?
- “Nothing, I love it all” was the top answer for a cheery 36 percent.
- 27 percent pointed to “cooking and cleaning” and 18 percent to “the traffic“ while “dysfunctional family or family tensions” plague 19 percent of Americans around this holiday time.
Are you aware of what Thanksgivukkah is?
- 77 percent of respondents hadn’t heard of this phenomenon, last occurring in 1888, where the first night of Hanukkah coincides with Thanksgiving, as it does this year.
- 23 percent had caught wind of this convergence of two holidays.
Will you be celebrating Thanksgivukkah this year?
- Of those aware of the convergence, 53 percent will celebrate both events, and 47 percent will not.
With whom do you usually celebrate?
- “Immediate family only ” versus “extended family and friends” came in about even at 49 percent and 48 percent respectively.
- Three percent celebrate a cozy Thanksgiving for two with either their spouse or partner only.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
- Is it any surprise that the turkey ranks the highest for 40 percent of respondents?
- Stuffing is the most popular with 23 percent, and 21 percent can’t resist “dessert/pies/cakes.”
Do you have a turkey at your table?
- “Of course” is the answer for 86 percent of us.
- Sometimes other meats are subbed in for 12 percent of Americans
- One percent celebrates with a strictly vegetarian or vegan dinner (although this does not represent turkey households which offer vegetarian options).
How do you prepare your turkey?
- Oven roasting or “baking” is the way to go for 86 percent of turkey eaters.
- Five percent deep-fry their turkeys.
Do you travel or stay at home?
- 59 percent stay home for Thanksgiving and 25 percent tend to travel.
- 17 percent do something different every year.
Do you participate in Black Friday?
- A healthy 36 percent will “get a head start on Friday” for their holiday shopping, but only eight percent will leave their Thanksgiving meal early to take advantage of pre-Friday sales.
- 23 percent, however, have no intention of taking advantage of Black Friday sales.
The survey also included qualitative, write-in responses about how people intended to honor both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah on the same night, if at all.
