LivingSocial is out with one more study of Halloween 2011, and like just about every other study we’ve seen, it is predicting flat to reduced spending by most consumers. But it has other facts of interest, like only 5% of us ignore the day completely, and that Reese’s is the #1 treat.
“The scariest thing many parents will see this Halloween may be their bank balance,” says LivingSocial, which had its information researched and gathered Mandala Research. 53% of families will be reducing spending, 35% will spend less on costumes and decorations, 14% are cutting back on candy and 12% are making their own costumes.
“Ghosts and goblins are nowhere near as scary as the financial situation that many families are facing this year,” said LivingSocial Families social trend expert Amy Wolf. “In these tough times, it’s hard for families to justify the high cost of costumes and decorations. Our survey found that many parents are taking steps to conserve money by making their own costumes, cutting back on decorations, and looking for cost-conscious activities to do with their families.”
Now, then, for the fun stuff that LivingSocial discovered. Here’s the scoop, direct from the survey.
* Poisoning Paranoia?: Almost two-thirds of parents (65%) said they sometimes check their kids’ candy for tampering.
* Ghost Trusters: One in seven respondents (15%) said they have seen a ghost before.
* Pilfering Parents: Half of parents (50%) said they sometimes steal their kids’ Halloween candy.
* Too Much Like Miley?: 42% of parents believe that young girls are dressing too sexy for Halloween.
* Canines vs. Curmudgeons on Costumes: Nearly one in five families (17%) dress up their pets for the holiday. 10% of respondents said they hate dressing up for Halloween.
* A Different Kind of Scary: One in five parents (21%) said their city is not safe for trick or treating.
* Grinches on Halloween?: Only 5% of respondents said they do not celebrate Halloween
* Teenage Trickery Tells No Tales: One in four parents (27%) admitted to TPing someone’s house when they were younger.
But wait, there’s more!
Top Family Halloween Activities
* Trick or Treating – 78% of families taking part
* Pumpkin Carving – 71% of families
* Decorating the House – 62% of families
* Going to a Pumpkin Patch – 53% of families
* Attending a Kids’ Halloween Party – 45% of families
* Making Halloween Arts and Crafts – 39% of families
* Making Halloween Treats for School – 36% of families
* Visiting a Haunted House – 35% of families
* Going to a Halloween Party for Adults – 29% of families
Top Ten Favorite Halloween Candies
* Reese’s – 43% of respondents rank it among their top five favorites
* Snickers – 38% rank among favorites
* M&Ms – 37% rank among favorites
* Kit Kat – 36% rank among favorites
* Twix – 29% rank among favorites
* Milky Way – 22% rank among favorites
* Butterfinger – 22% rank among favorites
* Candy Corn – 18% rank among favorites
* 3 Musketeers – 18% rank among favorites
* Skittles – 17% rank among favorites
The Five Best Cities for Trick-or-Treating (as ranked by residents)
* Chicago
* Cleveland
* Dallas
* Minneapolis/St. Paul
* Los Angeles
The Five Most Haunted Cities (by reported ghosts/ghost stories)
* Boston
* New York City
* Washington, DC
* Chicago
* Philadelphia
The Five Best Party Cities for Adults on Halloween
* Miami
* Orlando
* New York City
* Atlanta
* Tampa/St. Petersburg
The Five Stingiest Cities for Candy
* New York City
* Los Angeles
* Miami
* Washington, DC
* Atlanta
The Five Most Dangerous Cities for Trick or Treating (self-reported by residents)
* Miami
* New York City
* Atlanta
* Houston
* San Francisco
