Happy giving thanks!
Most Adults Have A Lot to Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Today, Americans will express their gratitude for the good things they and others have in life. According to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, most adults (86%) say they have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, even in a time of historic economic uncertainty. Only seven percent (7%) say they do not.
Just 12% may not be so grateful this Thanksgiving because they have to work at their jobs for the holiday. Eighty-one percent (81%), however, do not have to work on Thursday. These figures are virtually unchanged from last year .Most adults (53%) consider the holiday the nation's most important. Only three percent (3%) deem it the least important, while 43% say it's somewhere in between. That's nearly identical to our survey conducted this time last year . More Republicans (59%) feel the holiday is one of the nation's most important holidays than Democrats (48%).
In a separate Rasmussen Reports survey this week, 67% of adults said Thanksgiving is getting lost in the extended Christmas season, with businesses marketing toward the holidays in October and Christmas music on the air in early November .
As far as tradition goes, a plurality of adults will either have their Thanksgiving dinner at home (40%) or at a relative's home (44%). Ten percent (10%) of adults say that they will enjoy dinner at a friend's house or at a restaurant. Just 3% won't be having a special Thanksgiving dinner at all.
While most (80%) adults will feast on turkey, 13% say they will either dive into a ham or have something else entirely this year. Forty-six percent (46%) admit they will definitely eat too much on Thursday, but 41% say they won't. Men (67%) and women (66%) under 40 are way more likely to eat much more than men (40%) and women (41%) over 40.
Football remains a popular holiday pastime. Almost half (47%) of adults say they will watch football on Thanksgiving; 41% will not. Not surprisingly, men (56%) are more likely to watch a game than women (38%).
Finally, nearly one out of 10 adults (8%) say they plan to attend a Thanksgiving Day parade. Most (83%) will not.
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Rasmussen Reports is "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."