91% of Consumers Plan to Celebrate Thanksgiving

Numerator data shows how location and generation are likely to impact celebration plans.

November 20, 2023

This year, 9 in 10 consumers plan to celebrate Thanksgiving, with 5% still undecided on celebrations, according to Numerator.

In addition to 91% of consumers planning to celebrate Thanksgiving, 88% are planning to purchase food and 33% are planning to purchase alcohol for the holiday. Of those planning to purchase alcohol, 70% plan to buy wine, followed by beer (57%) and spirits (28%).

Nearly 3 in 5 (59%) Thanksgiving shoppers plan to buy a turkey this year for the holiday. Other popular menu items this year include dinner rolls or bread (54%), holiday pies (52%), stuffing/dressing (50%) and vegetables (48%).

Numerator found that consumers in the western United States are twice as likely to purchase seafood or meat alternatives for Thanksgiving compared to other regions. Additionally, older generations are more likely to stick with turkey and Boomers are twice as likely to buy cranberry sauce compared to other generations.

A consumer’s location and generation are likely to impact their celebration plans this Thanksgiving. Gen Z and millennials are the most likely generations to say they plan to travel this Thanksgiving (21%), while consumers in the Midwest are most likely to attend or host gatherings (70%).

Numerator also stated that more consumers plan to cook and travel this year than last year. While most celebration plans remained about the same as last year, more consumers say they will cook or bake this year (61% vs. 54% in 2022) and travel for the holiday (16% vs. 11% in 2022).

Numerator released data regarding consumers plans for this week’s holidays that was gathered through verified purchase data and a sentiment survey of 4,500 consumers on their 2023 holiday intentions.

According to the AAA, 55.4 million travelers will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving. This year’s forecast for total travelers is an increase of 2.3% over last year and marks the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000.

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