Generation Gap: Get Your Green On

With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Saturday this year, it appears that Irish eyes will be smiling on restaurants, bars, and retailers hoping to rake in the greenbacks this year. According to our latest research for the National Retail Federation, 54.4% of consumers plan to get their green on this month, the highest in our survey’s history.

But with nearly 9,000 respondents partaking in our February Consumer Survey, we’ve got a pot of gold data to share with you on this subject, so let’s take a look at St. Patty’s Day from the generational perspective:

Silent (born 1945 or earlier)
Boomers (born 1946 – 1964)
Gen X (born 1965 – 1982)
Gen Y (born 1983 – 1993)

This may come as no surprise, but it’s the youngsters who are on the hunt for four-leaf clovers this month. More than seven in ten (72.7%) Gen Y-ers plan to celebrate the holiday this year, while three out of five (63.5%) of those in Gen X say the same. Boomers (43.1%) and Silents (36.9%) index below average in their enthusiasm for the Irish-themed holiday.

Among those celebrating, the wearing o’ the green is the overwhelmingly preferred activity, with Gen Y (87.3%) most wanting to avoid the pinch patrol on March 17. These youngsters are also most likely of our groups to attend a party at a bar or restaurant (37.1%) or attend a private party (27.1%). One-third (32.9%) of Gen X-ers celebrating St. Patrick’s Day plans to head to a bar or restaurant, and this percentage continues to decline with rising age:

So where does that leave the older generations? Sipping their green beer at home, of course! Nearly 40% of the Silent and Boomer generations plan to enjoy their corned beef and cabbage at ye olde homestead [#oopsEnglishnotIrish]. Among Gen Y, fewer than one in four (23.7%) are planning to make a special meal:

Head over to Retail’s BIG Blog for the full report on St. Patrick’s Day 2012 from the National Retail Federation.

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

Source: BIGinsight™ Monthly Consumer Survey – FEB-12 (N = 8716, 2/1 – 2/8/12)

© 2012, Prosper®

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