Thirty-eight percent (38%) say they take the day to celebrate the contributions of society’s labor force and 45% say they use the day to mark the unofficial end of summer. Sixteen percent (16%) aren’t sure what they celebrate on Labor Day.

A plurality of white Americans (48%) says they celebrate Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer. A plurality of all other Americans (42%) says they celebrate a day to honor workers.

This year’s celebration comes at a time when more Americans have a favorable opinion of retail giant Walmart (69%) than Labor Unions (58%). It draws to a close a summer that 57% of American adults rated “good or great.”

Just 22% say Labor Day is one of the most important holidays of the year; 16% say it’s one of the least important; and 59% say it’s somewhere in between.

By way of comparison, 65% believe that the Fourth of July is one of our most important holidays, 48% say Veterans Day belongs in that category, and 46% say the same for Memorial Day. Labor Day rates higher than Fathers Day on this scale but not as high as Mothers Day.

Just 19% of white Americans view the holiday as one of our nation’s most important. That view is shared by 26% of black Americans and 34% of other Americans.

Regardless of the reasons behind them, barbeques or cookouts are popular Labor Day activities. Forty-five percent (45%) say they plan to include some grilling with family and friends over the long weekend. That’s a fitting way to give summer a send off since cookouts rated as the top Summer 2006 activity in another recent survey.

Parades don’t appear to be high on the list of Labor Day things to do, though—only 12% of respondents say they’ll include a parade in their holiday weekend activities.

The first Labor Day was observed on September 5, 1882, and organized by the Central Labor Union in New York City as a way to honor the achievements and contributions of the American worker. The holiday did not become a federal holiday until 1894 when President Grover Cleveland signed into law legislation establishing the first Monday in September as Labor Day.