ICYMI: New Monmouth University Poll Shows More Americans to Spend Thanksgiving with Loved Ones This Year

Monmouth Poll director: "Break out the extra card table. Thanksgiving is back, at least for most people."

A new Monmouth University poll finds that two-thirds of Americans plan to host their Thanksgiving Day gatherings this year with the same or greater number of people as pre-COVID – a sharp increase since last year, thanks to the President's success in getting shots in arms and protecting Americans from the virus. Thanks to that work, 80% of Americans now have at least one shot, and 10% of children aged 5-11 were vaccinated in just the first 10 days of eligibility.

This represents a huge turnaround from last year, when just under half of respondents planned to spend the holiday either alone or with their immediate family.

That uptick comes as our economy continues to see signs of a fast rebound, including strong retail sales data this week. Leading retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, and others report well-stocked shelves this holiday season and are ready to meet that increased demand. And best of all, the National Turkey Federation is "confident that there are plenty of turkeys available" this Thanksgiving for families to enjoy.

Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, says "Break out the extra card table. Thanksgiving is back, at least for most people."

See the article below:

Monmouth University: Back to Normal Thanksgiving… Almost
[11/16/21]

West Long Branch, NJ – Two-thirds of the American public reports their Thanksgiving Day gathering will return to pre-Covid levels this year, according to the Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll. Last year, just under half of the country planned to spend the holiday either alone or only with their immediate household. That has dropped to 1 in 4 this year.

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Two in three Americans plan to spend Thanksgiving with about the same number of people as they usually did before Covid (63%) or with even more people than usual around the table this year (5%). This combined 68% result is up from 46% who said the same in a poll last November. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans (18%) plan some overnight travel for the holiday, up from 10% who said the same in 2020.

"Break out the extra card table. Thanksgiving is back, at least for most people. Some are still cautious, however, and will be having a virtual gathering again this year," said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Three in ten (31%) say this year's Thanksgiving will include fewer people than during their pre-Covid holidays. However, this is down from 53% recorded in a 2020 pre-holiday poll who said they were planning smaller-than-usual gatherings. In all, 26% of Americans will be spending Thanksgiving either alone or with just their household, which is down from 45% who similarly limited their event size last year. Additionally, 16% of Americans plan to have family or friends join them remotely via Zoom or video, which is down from 24% who did this last year.