27% of People Want Thanksgiving Moved to a Friday, Plus Four More Fun Thanksgiving Stats

Would Thanksgiving be better if it was on a FRIDAY?  There aren’t any plans in the works to actually do it.  But around one in four Americans say YES in a new survey.

27% think Thanksgiving on a Friday would be better.  We’re guessing most of those people have to work on Friday.  So grouping it with Saturday and Sunday would give them a three-day weekend instead of one day off mid-week.

The same question was asked back in 1985, and just 16% said yes.  So it’s a more popular idea than it used to be.

Here are a few more fun Thanksgiving then-and-now questions . . .

1.  Would you skip Thanksgiving with your family for $1,000?  44% would take the cash, compared to just 19% when the same question was asked in 1991.  (Paying me to NOT deal with my family all day?  Yes, please.)

With inflation, $1,000 back then would be like $2,200 today.  So our priorities have really changed a lot there.

2.  Do you mainly go to family events like Thanksgiving out of obligation, or because you want to?  71% want to, and 29% feel obligated.  In 1991, 84% said they wanted to be there.

3.  Would you rather spend Thanksgiving at home, or be invited to the White House for dinner?  Somehow, that one hasn’t changed at all.  Only 16% chose the White House in 1991, and 16% today said the same.

4.  Are you more thankful this year than you’ve felt in the past few years?  That one’s stayed pretty steady too.  42% said yes . . . 43% said “about the same” . . . and 16% feel less thankful.

When the same question was asked way back in 1974, 39% said more thankful . . . 46% said “about the same” . . . and 15% were less thankful.

(YouGov)