Not just kids: poll suggests more adult Canadians plan to partake in Halloween fun

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TORONTO — Halloween isn’t just for kids, an increasing number of adults appear to be taking in spooky season celebrations.

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An online Leger poll found 31 per cent of respondents say they will celebrate Halloween this year with a special event such as a costume party or horror movie night.

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That’s an increase of six percentage points over last year.

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The biggest proportion of celebrants were found among 18 to 34-year-olds at 51 per cent, followed by parents at 48 per cent, and those 35 to 54 years old at 40 per cent.

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The poll surveyed 1,537 adults from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26, and suggests Quebec maintains its historically lower interest in the holiday while Atlantic Canadians seem to be the most enthusiastic.

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This year, just 28 per cent of Quebec respondents planned to dole out treats compared to 46 per cent nationally and 68 per cent in Atlantic Canada, while 46 per cent of Quebec respondents had no plans to buy any candy, compared to 34 per cent nationally and 19 per cent out east.

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Leger executive vice president Andrew Enns said the findings are fairly similar to the market research company’s past studies, suspecting Quebec’s nonchalance for Oct. 31 stems from cultural ties to France, where the annual fright fest is not common.

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“In the province of Quebec, Halloween is treated a little bit differently in the sense that it’s not as a significant activity for kids, and even adults, compared to English Canada,” Enns said from Winnipeg.

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“Atlantic Canada is the region in Canada that really kind of embraces Halloween, for some reason.”

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Atlantic Canadians also appear most likely to take their kids trick-or-treating, with 93 per cent of a smaller sample size of 22 expected to roam the neighbourhood, compared to 80 per cent nationwide, which used a weighted sample of 338.

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Not surprisingly, candy budgets were higher among parents at $53.35, compared to the national average of $44.32, and parents were more likely to hand out candy and decorate the house for Halloween, with both statistic at about 60 per cent.

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“If you have kids in the household, certainly you’re more likely to take part in something,” said Enns.

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Still, Canadians overall appear increasingly open to decorating their homes for Halloween, with Enns noting that statistic increased to 39 per cent from 34 per cent last year.

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That’s especially so in Atlantic Canada, where 55 per cent surveyed said they’ll decorate, and least likely in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where only 28 per cent planned to decorate.

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Enns, based in Winnipeg, said he was surprised the Prairies scored so low on this point but noted its sample pool of 135 was “on the smaller side” said therefore more vulnerable to fluctuation.

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He suggested fickle weather as a possible factor since the Prairies otherwise seems keen to celebrate Halloween based on other statistics that were close to the national average.

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“It is pretty unpredictable here on the Prairies with respect to what kind of weather you may get by the time you get to the end of October.”