COVID-19 has ruined all kinds of plans, from summer vacations to weddings and everything in between. With no clear end in sight to the pandemic in the United States, there is one very important question: What about Halloween?
America’s favorite fright night isn’t far away and with traditions like trick-or-treating and costume parties presenting a risk of exposure, we wanted to know how people plan to celebrate, if at all. Google Surveys analyzed data from over 3,000 respondents to find out how COVID-19 is impacting Halloween plans this fall. The survey ran in August and was conducted for Apartment Guide using Google Consumer Surveys. The sample consisted of no less than 1,500 completed responses per question.
COVID-19 seems to have spooked most people when it comes to the idea of close contact with neighbors this Halloween. Nearly half of respondents polled said they have no plans to interact with trick-or-treaters in any way and only 24 percent plan to leave a bowl of candy outside, likely due to perceived risks around COVID-19.
• 46 percent won’t hand out candy to trick-or-treaters this Halloween
• 34 percent plan to go trick-or-treating normally, despite COVID-19 risks
• Only 16 percent have plans to adapt Halloween celebrations for COVID-19
While there’s a large population who won’t be handing out candy this year, one in three Americans still plans to observe the tradition. Even more surprising, older adults were more likely to say they’ll be handing out candy to each trick or treater. In fact, a whopping 35 percent of adults aged 55+ say they will hand out candy this Halloween. That presents a problem, given the fact that older adults are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing more severe symptoms.
Even if some neighbors decide to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters normally, be prepared for everyone’s favorite Halloween tradition to look a bit different on Saturday night.
