Most have generally positive feelings about Halloween but aren’t dressing up in a costume or welcoming trick-or-treaters to their home.
By Aaron Earls
When some think of Halloween, they picture neighborhoods filled with costume children going door-to-door for candy. Others may see the day as a worrisome celebration of dark forces.
For most Americans, the day is a harmless holiday they have generally positive feelings about, but they aren’t taking their kids out or welcoming the children of others at their door.
A recent YouGov survey found 77% of U.S. adults say Halloween is a harmless holiday, 11% believe it is harmful, and 12% aren’t sure.
In an additional survey, 15% say Halloween is their favorite day of the year, the third highest percentage behind only Christmas (36%) and Thanksgiving (23%). Another 28% enjoy Halloween more than an average day. Around a third (35%) enjoy the day about as much as an average day. Around 1 in 10 say they enjoy Halloween less than an average day (9%) or the holiday is their least favorite day of the year (9%).
Halloween participation
Despite the general approval and enjoyment of Halloween, most adults didn’t wear a costume last year and don’t plan to this year either, according to YouGov. Three in 4 (76%) say they didn’t wear any type of costume for Halloween last year. When asked about this year, 65% say they don’t plan on wearing a costume.
Not only are they not wearing costumes, but most adults aren’t participating in trick-or-treating with their children or those who might come to their door. In a November 2023 survey, 70% of U.S. adults said they didn’t take any children to others’ homes as part of Halloween, while 26% said they did.
Most weren’t welcoming kids to their door either—56% said they didn’t give treats to children trick-or-treating at their home for Halloween last year. Around 2 in 5 (41%) said they participated in this way.
Church encouragement
A 2022 Lifeway Research study found just over 1 in 8 U.S. Protestant pastors (13%) said they encourage people in their churches to avoid Halloween completely. Most, however, want their congregants to get involved in some way.
Seven in 10 (71%) ask churchgoers to invite people to an alternative church event. Most (58%) want those attending their church to build relationships with neighbors who trick-or-treat. Another 38% invite congregants to hand out gospel tracts to trick-or-treaters.
“The majority of even the smallest churches offer church events this time of year and encourage their members to invite people from the community,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “In a society that is increasingly distant and divided, most pastors see opportunities within the interactions that take place around Halloween.”
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