Holidays

23% Have Already Started Holiday Shopping

There’s still three weeks to go before Thanksgiving, but nearly one-out-of-four Americans have already begun their holiday gift shopping.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 23% have started their holiday gift shopping, while most (73%) have not. Only four percent (4%) have already finished their holiday gift shopping.

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The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on November 2-3, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

34% Plan To Pass Out Candy on Halloween

There's more commercial emphasis on Halloween than ever but little or no change in the number of adults getting into the spirit of the holiday.

31% Believe in Ghosts

It's that time of year again for visits to haunted houses and tales of ghastly ghouls.  How about this for a story?  More Americans than ever say they believe in ghosts.
 
 A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that now nearly one-in-three American Adults (31%) believe in spectral phenomena. Sixty-two percent (62%) do not, but seven percent (7%) aren't sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

61% Still Think U.S. Should Celebrate Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus is still generally regarded as the explorer who “discovered” America, and most Americans think the United States should remember him with a holiday. But they don’t rate Columbus Day, celebrated officially today, very high on the list of U.S. holidays.

For 17%, Labor Day Is One of the Top Holidays

Only a small percentage of Americans consider Labor Day one of the nation’s biggest holidays, and most celebrate it as the unofficial end of summer rather than a recognition of union workers.

Just 33% Took A Summer Vacation This Year

Fewer adults took a summer vacation this year, and half of those that did had to cut back for economic reasons.

65% Say Fourth of July One of Nation’s Most Important Holidays

While many people look forward to the Fourth of July for barbecues and fireworks, most Americans recognize the importance of our nation’s Independence Day—but that does not mean barbecues and fireworks are off the table.

54% Say U.S. Is Nation of Liberty and Justice for All

Millions and millions of Americans routinely recite the Pledge of Allegiance at countless gatherings across the United States. And, when they do, they close with the line about how our nation is a land of “liberty and justice for all.”

43% See George Washington As Greatest Founding Father

As America prepares to celebrate its 235th birthday, a plurality of adults still sees the nation’s first president as its greatest founder.

73% Say Being a Father is Most Important Role for Men in Today’s World

Today is Father’s Day, and most adults will be doing something for their dad today.

49% Consider Memorial Day One of Nation's Most Important Holidays

Forty-nine percent (49%) of Americans view Memorial Day as one of the nation’s most important holidays. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just seven percent (7%) consider it one of the least important holidays, while 43% rate it somewhere in between.

60% Plan to Honor Memorial Day

Just one-out-of-five American Adults have served in the U.S. military, but most of their fellow citizens plan on doing something special on Memorial Day to honor those who gave their lives for their country.

Most Mothers Should Expect A Call or A Visit Today

For many adults, today’s all about Mom.

44% See Easter As One of Nation’s Most Important Holidays

It’s Easter Sunday, and 80% of Americans will have some sort of a family meal to celebrate the occasion.

78% Believe Jesus Christ Was the Son of God

Today is the day Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who 78% of all Americans believe to be the son of God who came to Earth to die for our sins.

38% Say Earth Day Has Helped Raise Environmental Awareness

Today marks the 42nd year that Earth Day has been celebrated, but Americans are closely divided over whether the informal annual holiday has raised the environmental consciousness of their fellow countrymen.

27% Call Americans Selfish For Putting Economy Ahead of Global Warming

Americans still don’t think they are being selfish for placing their economic concerns ahead of the fight against climate change.  But they strongly believe improving the environment occurs on a personal level.

47% Will Wear Green On St. Patrick's Day, 21% Plan To Drink

Very few Americans consider St. Patrick's Day an important holiday, but nearly half of adults plan to go green today anyway.

Americans Like Washington, Lincoln A Lot More Than Their Holiday

Americans have an overwhelmingly favorable view of George Washington, the nation’s first president, but very few consider his birthday which we honor today as a very important holiday.

27% Say Reagan Most Deserving of a Federal Holiday, 20% Say JFK

George Washington is the only U.S. president who is officially honored with a federal holiday, but given a list of some of America’s most influential other past presidents, more than one-in-four Americans choose Ronald Reagan as the one if another were to be recognized with a holiday. John F. Kennedy comes in second.