Just a few weeks after a divisive presidential election, millions of Americans will break bread together for Thanksgiving. A new Pew Research Center survey shows how Americans plan to spend the holiday this year – and which Turkey Day traditions and activities are more common than others.
Here are the main takeaways from the survey, conducted Nov. 12-17, 2024, among 9,609 U.S. adults:
1. Around nine-in-ten Americans (91%) celebrate Thanksgiving. Large majorities in all major demographic groups observe the holiday, though some people are more likely than others to do so. For example, 96% of Americans ages 65 and older celebrate Thanksgiving, compared with somewhat smaller shares of younger adults.
Immigration status also plays a role. While 93% of adults born in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, the same is true of 88% of immigrants who have been in the country for more than 20 years, 76% of immigrants who have been in the country 11 to 20 years, and 74% of immigrants who have been in the country for a decade or less.
2.Most Americans (74%) plan to have Thanksgiving dinner with other people this year. Another 5% plan to have Thanksgiving dinner alone, 2% don’t plan to have Thanksgiving dinner – whether it’s because they are working or traveling or for some other reason – and 10% didn’t know their plans yet at the time of the survey. The rest don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.
3. For some Americans, Thanksgiving dinner includes lots of other people. Around a quarter (26%) expect to have Thanksgiving dinner with more than 10 other people this year, including 7% who expect to have it with more than 20 others.
Smaller get-togethers are more common: 26% of Americans plan to have dinner with six to 10 other people, 15% with three to five other people, and 4% with one to two other people. The remaining Americans plan to have Thanksgiving dinner alone, don’t plan to have Thanksgiving dinner, didn’t know their plans yet or don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.
4. Around a third of Americans (34%) plan to have Thanksgiving dinner at their own home this year, whether hosting others or dining alone. Another 39% plan to go to someone else’s home, while 3% plan to go to a restaurant, hotel or other public place. The rest plan not to have Thanksgiving dinner, didn’t know their plans yet or don’t celebrate the holiday.
Older adults are more likely than younger people to have Thanksgiving dinner at their own home: 40% of Americans ages 50 and older plan to do so this year, compared with 29% of adults under 50.
5. Afternoon is the most popular time for Thanksgiving dinner, but there’s no consensus on early versus late afternoon. Some 36% of Americans prefer to have Thanksgiving dinner in the early afternoon (that is, between noon and 3 p.m.), while 38% prefer to have it in the late afternoon (between 3 and 6 p.m.). Only 11% of Americans prefer to have Thanksgiving dinner in the evening (after 6), and just 1% prefer to have it in the morning (before noon). Another 5% have no preference.
Dinnertime preferences follow a regional pattern. Americans who live in the Midwest and South are more likely to prefer Thanksgiving dinner in the early afternoon than the late afternoon. But people in the Northeast and West are more likely to prefer the late afternoon than the early afternoon.
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