Just a few weeks following a highly polarized presidential election, millions of Americans will gather to share in the Thanksgiving feast. A comprehensive survey conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals insights into how Americans plan to commemorate this traditional holiday, highlighting various cherished Turkey Day customs and activities that will resonate across the nation this year.
Outlined below are the key findings from the survey, which took place from November 12 to November 17, 2024, and included responses from 9,609 American adults:
Around nine-in-ten Americans (91%) celebrate Thanksgiving. This festive occasion sees large majorities across all major demographic segments, though participation rates do vary. Notably, an impressive 96% of adults aged 65 and older participate in Thanksgiving festivities, while younger members of the population exhibit a lower propensity to celebrate.
Immigration status also significantly influences Thanksgiving participation rates. Celebrating the holiday is common among 93% of adults born in the United States, yet this figure drops to 88% for immigrants who have resided in the country for over 20 years, 76% for those who have been here between 11 and 20 years, and further declines to 74% for immigrants living in the U.S. for a decade or less.
Most Americans (74%) plan to have Thanksgiving dinner with other people this year. There is a small proportion, around 5%, who anticipate having Thanksgiving dinner alone. Furthermore, 2% of respondents indicated they would not partake in Thanksgiving dinner due to work commitments, travel, or other reasons, leaving 10% undecided about their holiday plans at the time of the survey. The remaining respondents do not celebrate Thanksgiving at all.
For some Americans, Thanksgiving dinner includes lots of other people. Approximately one-quarter (26%) of respondents expect to host dinner gatherings that exceed 10 attendees this year, with 7% anticipating a living room crowded with more than 20 guests.
Smaller gatherings are also prevalent: 26% of participants expect to enjoy dinner with 6 to 10 others, while 15% forecast a cozy meal with 3 to 5 companions, and 4% expect the company of just one or two people. The remainder includes those planning to dine alone, those unsure of their plans, or people who do not celebrate Thanksgiving.
Around a third of Americans (34%) plan to have Thanksgiving dinner at their own home this year. Out of respondents, another 39% plan to visit others’ homes for the holiday festivities, while a mere 3% intend to dine at a restaurant, hotel, or another public venue. The composition is rounded out by individuals who either do not plan to have Thanksgiving dinner, are unsure of their plans, or choose not to celebrate the holiday altogether.
Older adults tend to gravitate towards hosting Thanksgiving dinners in their own homes, with 40% of individuals aged 50 and older planning to do so this year, compared to 29% of adults younger than 50.
Afternoon is the most popular time for Thanksgiving dinner, but there’s no consensus on early versus late afternoon. Approximately 36% of Americans favor having Thanksgiving dinner in the early afternoon ranging from noon to 3 p.m. However, 38% prefer later dinners, typically between 3 and 6 p.m. Only 11% of adults opt for evening dinners after 6 p.m., while just 1% prefer dining in the morning before noon. An additional 5% reported having no preference for dining time.
Dinnertime preferences illustrate a regional divergence. Those residing in the Midwest and South tend to favor Thanksgiving dinners in the early afternoon more consistently than their late afternoon counterparts. In contrast, residents of the Northeast and West showcase a stronger inclination for dining later in the afternoon.
Age-related differences also emerge regarding mealtime preferences. Americans aged 65 and older generally gravitate towards early afternoon dinners, while adults under 30 exhibit a greater preference for late afternoon gatherings.
It’s common for Americans to say grace or express gratitude at Thanksgiving dinner. Approximately two-thirds of U.S. adults, accounting for 65%, report that a prayer or blessing is typically vocalized at their Thanksgiving dinner. Meanwhile, 69% express that attendees share what they are thankful for. Notably, 56% say that both are common practices at their Thanksgiving table.
Saying grace is particularly prevalent among certain religious demographics. For instance, an impressive 91% of White evangelical Protestants report that a prayer or blessing is customary, alongside 88% of Black Protestants, 74% of Catholics, and 72% of White non-evangelical Protestants. In contrast, prayer is reported to be less common among individuals identifying as “nothing in particular” (45%), agnostics (39%), atheists (22%), and Jewish adults (22%).
Majorities spanning various religious groups also note that expressions of gratitude occur at their Thanksgiving tables. Many in the religiously unaffiliated category affirm this as well: 59% of those who identify their religion as “nothing in particular,” along with 61% of agnostics and 48% of atheists, endorse that someone typically articulates what they are thankful for.
Driving and Thanksgiving go hand in hand. An overwhelming 89% of Americans planning to have Thanksgiving dinner away from home cite driving as their preferred mode of transportation. This translates to approximately 38% of adults across the United States who anticipate driving to their Thanksgiving destinations.
In stark contrast, a mere 2% of American respondents expect to fly, while even less consider alternative transportation methods, such as local or regional transit options.
Most Thanksgiving travel takes less than an hour. Among individuals intending to dine away from home this year, 69% anticipate their travel will last less than an hour, likely due to the close proximity of family members. Previous data from a 2022 Pew Research Center survey indicates that 55% of Americans live within an hour’s drive of some extended family.
For adults in general, 29% expect their Thanksgiving travels to take less than an hour, while another 13% predict longer journeys, which includes 6% who expect their trips to exceed three hours.
Apart from eating, Americans expect to do a wide range of things this Thanksgiving. Traditional Thanksgiving activities such as watching football or enjoying a parade remain quite popular: 35% of Americans assert it is extremely or very likely they’ll watch sports on Thanksgiving, while 19% share the same sentiment regarding watching a parade. Gender differences emerge here, as men are more inclined to watch sports, whereas women show a preference for viewing parades.
In terms of conversation topics, 35% of individuals express that discussing work or education is extremely or very likely to occur during Thanksgiving gatherings. Following a presidential election in which more than 153 million Americans cast their ballots, 26% of respondents anticipate that political discussions will arise. A comparable share (24%) believes conversations will veer toward pop culture subjects such as music and movies, while only 4% plan to go out to watch a movie.
Thanksgiving also emerges as a charitable moment for many, with 19% indicating they are extremely or very likely to donate food or goods, while 4% expect to volunteer in some capacity.
Moreover, Thanksgiving marks the unofficial commencement of the holiday shopping season. In line with this sentiment, 15% of Americans say they are extremely or very likely to shop for holiday gifts on Thanksgiving Day itself.
Engaging in exercise on Thanksgiving appears to be a less favored activity, with only 4% of adults indicating they are extremely or very likely to play sports, and a modest 3% expecting to participate in a community walk or run, such as a turkey trot.
Following Donald Trump’s reelection on Nov. 5, Trump voters are more likely than Kamala Harris voters to say they’ll talk about the presidential election this Thanksgiving. A sizable 36% of Trump supporters signal that discussing the election is extremely or very likely at their Thanksgiving gathering, in comparison to only 24% of Harris voters sharing the same expectation.
Among conservative Trump voters, the propensity to discuss the election reaches even higher levels: 39% express it is extremely or very likely they’ll engage in election-related conversations, compared to 28% of moderate or liberal Trump voters. Among Harris supporters, 28% of those identifying as liberals expect similar discussions, while 20% of conservative or moderate voters state the same.
Interestingly, conservative Trump voters are as likely to bring up the election during Thanksgiving as they are to discuss work or school (36%)—substantially more than the 17% who anticipate conversations about pop culture. Conversely, liberal Harris voters demonstrate a higher tendency to discuss work or school (42%) and pop culture (38%) over political matters.
Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.