Want to Decrease Your Stress Level? Dress in Costume [on Halloween].

Halloween is just for kids, right? Not in 2011. This year, seven in ten adults will be celebrating Halloween or participating spooky-related activities. Two in five of these adults – a record number – will be dressing in costume. So it really seems as that the economy falters, Halloween is just the ticket for throw-your-cares-away fun…well, that may depend on your age.

In our October survey, we asked respondents to rate their Halloween stress relief on a scale of one (“Halloween is not at all a stress reliever”) to five (“Halloween is very much  a stress reliever”). One in five (21.3%) admitted that Halloween is “somewhat” or “very much” a stress reliever, and this number actually rose to 26.6% among parents with children in the household. So I guess my mom really did enjoy the countless hours she spent over the years stitching costumes together for my sisters and me (She-Ra was a personal favorite).

Among those most likely to dress in costume this year (18-24 year olds, at 74.4%), the stress level decreases further. More than a third (34.4%) of these party people says Halloween “somewhat” or “very much” helps them deal with stress. I guess college term papers and exams suddenly become more manageable after a night out dressed as Britney Spears, circa “…Baby One More Time.” (OK, maybe I know from personal experience).

And, it appears that there may be a correlation between passing out candy and not viewing Halloween as a stress-relieving holiday. Those in the 45+ age groups were the most likely to indicate that Halloween is “not really” or “not at all” a source of stress relief. This mature crowd was also the least likely to dress in costume, while the most likely to be passing out candy this year (according to our September survey, conducted for the National Retail Federation). So while it might be fun to dole out the candy bars and lollipops to little princesses, witches, and pirates that come calling, it’s just not stress-relieving.

For more information on this data, please contact BIGinsight™.

And, for Halloween data released earlier in the month by the National Retail Federation®, including spending, activities, and planned costumes, please click here.

Source: BIGinsight™, Monthly Consumer Surveys – OCT-11 (N = 8585, 10/4 – 10/11/11), SEPT-11 (N = 9374, 9/6 – 9/14/11)

© 2011, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

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