FDU Poll Finds Americans Say Kids Should Stop Trick-or-Treating at 13 and a half

Contact:                           

Dan Cassino 

Executive Director, FDU Poll    

973.896.7072/ dcassino@fdu.edu

 

Americans Say Kids Should Stop Trick-or-Treating at 13 and a half

Politics Shapes Views of Trick-or-Treating; One-in-Eight Americans Say They’ll Give Out Full Size Candy This Year

Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ, October 21, 2024 – Across age groups, across racial and ethnic groups, and even across the political divide, Americans can agree on one thing: kids should probably stop trick-or-treating when they’re 13 and a half.  According to the latest results from the FDU Poll, younger voters and left-leaning Americans are more likely to say that kids should be able to trick-or-treat at any age, and a surprising number of Americans say that they’re planning on giving out full size, rather than fun-size or mini, candy this year. About one-third of Americans say that they think poison or drugs are frequently hidden in Halloween candy.

“Secular holidays like Halloween require us to make up our own practices and norms,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of Government and Politics at Fairleigh Dickinson, and the Executive Director of the poll. “Local practices vary widely, but the consensus on when kids should stop trick-or-treating are very stable across groups.”

In the survey, respondents were asked at what age children should stop trick-or-treating on Halloween. Among those respondents who gave an age, the average response was 13.5, though a quarter of Americans say that kids should go on trick-or-treating for as long as they like, and 3 percent are against the practice at any age. Older Americans are more likely to say that kids should stop trick-or-treating at ages 11 or 12; younger Americans are more likely to say that kids of any age who want to trick-or-treat should.

The political and social views of Americans play out in their views of trick-or-treating. While both Harris and Trump supporters give 13.5 as the mean response for when kids should stop trick-or-treating, Trump supporters are 10 points less likely to say that kids of any age should be able to go asking for candy  (20 percent) than Harris supporters (30 percent). Similarly, liberals (30 percent) and progressives (33 percent) are much more likely to say that kids should be able to trick-or-treat at any age than conservatives (19 percent) or MAGA voters (20 percent). The groups most open to kids of any age trick-or-treating are Americans who consider themselves to be part of the LGBTQ+ community (46 percent), and, appropriately, Americans who say that they’re socialists. Among this relatively small group, 53 percent say that kids should trick-or-treat at any age, and for those that do give an age, the mean response is 15.3,  higher than for any other group.

“Politics isn’t just about how you’re voting: it’s a way of seeing the world,” said Cassino. “Groups that push for more generous social benefits are also more open to giving candy away to anyone who comes to their door.”

Twelve percent of voters in the US say that they plan to give out full size candy or chocolate bars at Halloween this year, while the largest group (46 percent) say that they’ll be giving out mini or “fun size” candy or chocolate. A full third of Americans say that they don’t plan on giving out anything this year, and just 2 percent say that they’ll be giving out non-food items. Across age groups, people are about equally likely to give out full size candy, but older Americans are more likely to say that they’re not planning on buying anything to give out on Halloween.

“Mini sized candy is still the norm, but warehouse stores have made it a lot cheaper to give out full size bars,” said Cassino. “Lots of Americans delighted in getting a full-size candy as a kid, and it seems like they want to pass that feeling on.”

Respondents were also asked about the perennial warnings that trick-or-treaters might be given poison or drugs that look like candy. While this happens with exceeding rarity in the US, one-third of Americans (34 percent) think that it happens “sometimes” or “often.” Older Americans and Trump supporters are much more prone to believing that this kind of candy adulteration happens frequently.

“People who are worried about crime generally are more worried about the urban legend of poisoned or adulterated Halloween candy,” said Cassino. “While there are potent marijuana edibles sold in packages that look like candy, those are generally expensive enough that households that have them around probably aren’t going to be giving them away.”

Methodology

The survey was conducted between October 8 and October 14, 2024, using a voter list of registered voters nationwide carried out by Braun Research of Princeton, New Jersey. Respondents were contacted via either live caller telephone interviews, or text-to-web surveys sent to cellular phones, resulting in an overall sample of 806 registered voters nationally. 532 of the surveys were carried out via live caller telephone interviews to landlines (30%) and cellphones (70%) and the remainder (274) were done on a web platform via weblinks sent via SMS to cell phones. Surveys were conducted only in English.

The data were weighted to be representative of the population of voters in the 2020 US Presidential Election, according to data from AP VoteCast. The weights used, like all weights, balance the demographic characteristics of the sample to match known population parameters. The weighted results used here are balanced to match parameters for sex, age, education and race/ethnicity. Individuals were considered likely voters in the upcoming Presidential Election if they (a) were registered voters, who (b) said that they planned to vote in the upcoming election, and (c) had a candidate preference in that election.

SPSSINC RAKE, an SPSS extension module that simultaneously balances the distributions of all variables using the GENLOG procedure, was used to produce final weights. Weights were trimmed to prevent individual interviews from having too much influence on the final results. The use of these weights in statistical analysis helps to ensure that the demographic characteristics of the sample approximate the demographic characteristics of the target population. The size of these weights is used to construct the measure of design effects, which indicate the extent to which the reported results are being driven by the weights applied to the data, rather than found in the data itself. Simply put, these design effects tell us how many additional respondents would have been needed to get the weighted number of respondents across weighted categories: larger design effects indicate greater levels of under-representation in the data. In this case, calculated design effects are approximately 1.3, largely driven by the weights used on the race/ethnicity variable.

All surveys are subject to sampling error, which is the expected probable difference between interviewing everyone in a population versus a scientific sampling drawn from that population. Sampling error should be adjusted to recognize the effect of weighting the data to better match the population. In this poll, the simple sampling error for 806 registered voters is +/-3.5 percentage points, at a 95 percent confidence interval. Including the design effects, the margin of error would be +/-4.6 percentage points, though the figure not including them is much more commonly reported.

This error calculation does not take into account other sources of variation inherent in public opinion studies, such as non-response, question wording, differences in translated forms, or context effects. While such errors are known to exist, they are often unquantifiable within a particular survey, and all efforts, such as randomization and extensive pre-testing of items, have been used to minimize them.

The FDU Poll is a proud member of the AAPOR Transparency Initiative and is devoted to ensuring that our results are presented in such a way that anyone can quickly and easily get all of the information that they may need to evaluate the validity of our surveys. We believe that transparency is the key to building trust in the work of high-quality public opinion research, and necessary to push our industry forward.

Weighted Telephone Sample Characteristics

806 Registered Voters Nationally

Figures do not include individuals who declined to answer demographic items.

 

Man                                

46%                 N = 347

Woman                            

53%                 N = 399

Some Other Way          

1%                 N = 7

 

LGBTQ+                       

8%                 N = 62

 

18-30                          

15%                N = 114

31-44                          

23%                 N = 171

45-64                          

38%                 N = 288

65+                              

24%                 N = 180

 

White                                           

67%                N = 507

Black                                              

12%                N = 92

Hispanic/Latino/a                                     

13%                N = 94

Asian                                       

3%                  N = 20

Other/Multi-racial                                    

3%                  N = 21

 

No college degree                      

58%                N = 435

College degree or more             

42%                N = 314

 

Democrat (including leaners)    

48%                N = 347

Independent (no lean)                

7%                  N = 51

College degree or more             

45%                N = 323

 

Question Wording and Order

P1. [Shuffle order of top candidates] In November’s Presidential election, do you intend to vote for Kamala [COMMA-lah] Harris, the Democrat, Donald Trump, the Republican, for someone else, or do you not plan on voting?

1. Kamala [COMMA-lah] Harris, the Democrat
2. Donald Trump, the Republican
3. Someone else
4. Not going to vote
5. [Vol] Don’t know/ Refused

P2. Regardless of whether they’re men or women, candidates from political office often have a combination of masculine and feminine traits. Some might be totally masculine, or totally feminine, and some might be somewhat masculine and somewhat feminine. We’d like to know how you would rate this year’s major party candidates for President and Vice-President on their masculinity and femininity. W

[Shuffle Order of Candidates; Shuffle order of masculine/feminine/liberal but keep consistent across the candidates. So, four groups of rs: masc/fem/liberal, fem/masc/liberal, liberal/fem/masc, liberal/masc/fem]

1. How Masculine would you say that Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump is?
2. How Feminine would you say that Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump is?
3. How Liberal or Conservative would you say that Trump is?
4. How Masculine would you say that Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris is?
5. How Feminine would you say that Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris is?
6. How Liberal or Conservative would you say that Harris is?
7. How Masculine would you say that Republican Vice-Presidential nominee JD Vance is?
8. How Feminine would you say that Republican Vice-Presidential nominee JD Vance is?
9. How Liberal or Conservative would you say that Vance is?
10. How Masculine would you say that Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Walz is?
11. How Feminine would you say that Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Walz is?
12. How Liberal or Conservative would you say that Walz is?

 

1. Completely Masculine/Feminine
2. Mostly Masculine/Feminine
3. Somewhat Masculine/Feminine
4. Not Very Masculine/Feminine
5. Not at All Masculine/Feminine
6. Not Sure
7. [Don’t Know]
8. [Refused]

For Liberal/Conservative:

1. Very Liberal
2. Somewhat Liberal
3. Slightly Liberal
4. Slightly Conservative
5. Somewhat Conservative
6. Very Conservative
7. [Don’t Know]
8. [Refused]

Switching gears a little bit, we’d like to ask you some questions about Halloween.

D8. Do you currently have children under 18 living with you at home?

1. Yes
2. No
3. [Vol] Don’t Know
4. [Vol] Refused

H1. In your opinion, what age is the last year that a child should be trick-or-treating on Halloween?

[Record response in years: 0-89, with any age over 89 coded as 89]

96. Children shouldn’t trick-or-treat at all
    97. Children Should trick-or-treat as long as they want
    98. Don’t Know
    99. Refused

H2. What do you plan on buying to give out to trick-or-treater’ers for Halloween this year?

1. Mini or Fun Size Candy or Chocolates
2. Full Size Candy or Chocolate Bars
3. Non-Food Items
4. Don’t Plan on buying anything
5. Don’t Know [Vol}
6. Refused [Vol]

H3. Every year, police put out bulletins warning parents that trick-or-treater’ers might be given poisoned candy or drugs that look like candy. How often do you think this happens in the US?

1. Never or Almost Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
5. Don’t Know [Vol}
6. Refused [Vol]

Intervening questions withheld for future release

Just a few more questions, for statistical purposes

D1. In politics today, do you consider yourself a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or something else? 

1. Democrat                   
2. Republican 
3. Independent  [ASK D1A]                                                                                
4. Something Else/Other                                   
5. DK/Ref [vol]

D1A. [Ask only if D1 is 3] Which way do you lean?

1. Democrat 
2. Republican
3. Independent                                                              
4. Something Else/Other                                   
5. DK/Ref [vol]

D1B. In addition, which of the following terms would you use to describe your political views? You can choose as many as you like. [Shuffle Order]

1. Liberal
2. Moderate
3. Conservative
4. Socialist
5. Progressive
6. Libertarian
7. Make America Great Again or MAGA
8. Nationalist

D2A. To ensure we are reaching people of all ages, would you please tell me your age?

            ____    (ENTER AGE: 98=98+, 99 = REFUSED)

            [IF Don’t Know/REFUSED IN QD1, ASK:] 

D2B.  Would you be willing to tell us whether it’s between…?

1. Under 30
2. 31 to 44
3. 45 to 64
4. 65 or over
5. [Refused]

D3. What was the last grade in school you completed? [CODE TO LIST]

1. Did not complete High School
2. High School Diploma or equivalent
3. Vocational or Trade School
4. Some college, but no degree
5. Associates, or other 2 year degree
6. Bachelor’s Degree
7. Graduate work, such as Law, MBA, Medical School, or similar
8. Refused (VOL)

D4. How would you describe your sex? Do you describe yourself as …

1. A Man
2. A Woman
3. Some other way
4. [DK/REF]

D5. Do you consider yourself to be a member of the LGBTQ plus community? It’s OK if you don’t know what that is.

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’t Know what that is
4. [Refused]

D6. How would you describe your racial and ethnic background? You can pick as many as you’d like.

1. White
2. Black
3. Asian 
4. Hispanic/Latino/a/Spanish
5. Other or Multi-Racial
6. [Dk/Ref]

[We’re doing something different with this one, and having separate masculine/feminine scales, so there’s two questions, presented in random order]

D7. The traits that we see as being masculine or feminine are largely determined by society, and have changed dramatically over time. As a result, everyone has some combination of masculine and feminine traits, which may or may not correspond with whether they’re male or female. How do you see yourself?

1. How Masculine would you say that you are?
2. How Feminine would you say that you are?

 

1. Completely Masculine/Feminine
2. Mostly Masculine/Feminine
3. Somewhat Masculine/Feminine
4. Not Very Masculine/Feminine
5. Not at All Masculine/Feminine
6. [Dk/Ref]

 

 

Release Tables

Note: respondents who did not have a preference or said that they would not vote in the upcoming election were not considered likely voters, and are excluded from these tables.

In your opinion, what age is the last year that a child should be trick-or-treating for Halloween?
	All	Men	Women	LGBTQ+	Not-LGBTQ+
10 Years or Less	6%	6%	7%	2%	6%
11-12 Years Old	20%	18%	21%	11%	21%
13-15 Years Old	24%	27%	21%	27%	24%
16 or over	15%	15%	15%	13%	16%
Children Should never Trick-or-Treat	3%	3%	3%	–	3%
As long as they want	25%	21%	28%	46%	23%
Don’t Know/Refused	7%	10%	5%	2%	8%

 

In your opinion, what age is the last year that a child should be trick-or-treating for Halloween?
	All	Under 30	31-44	45-64	65+
10 Years or Less	6%	4%	7%	5%	11%
11-12 Years Old	20%	12%	13%	21%	28%
13-15 Years Old	24%	21%	20%	28%	24%
16 or over	15%	14%	13%	18%	12%
Children Should never Trick-or-Treat	3%	1%	1%	2%	7%
As long as they want	25%	42%	34%	20%	12%
Don’t Know/Refused	7%	5%	12%	6%	6%

 

In your opinion, what age is the last year that a child should be trick-or-treating for Halloween?
	All	Republicans	Democrats	Harris	Trump
10 Years or Less	6%	7%	7%	6%	7%
11-12 Years Old	20%	21%	19%	19%	20%
13-15 Years Old	24%	26%	23%	22%	26%
16 or over	15%	14%	16%	15%	14%
Children Should never Trick-or-Treat	3%	2%	3%	3%	3%
As long as they want	25%	21%	27%	30%	20%
Don’t Know/Refused	7%	9%	4%	4%	10%

 

In your opinion, what age is the last year that a child should be trick-or-treating for Halloween?
	Liberal	Progressive	Conservative	MAGA	Socialist
10 Years or Less	3%	9%	7%	10%	2%
11-12 Years Old	20%	13%	23%	21%	5%
13-15 Years Old	26%	23%	25%	24%	14%
16 or over	15%	18%	14%	14%	21%
Children Should never Trick-or-Treat	2%	1%	4%	3%	2%
As long as they want	30%	33%	19%	20%	53%
Don’t Know/Refused	4%	3%	9%	9%	4%

 

What do you plan on buying to give out to trick-or-treaters for Halloween this year?
	All	Men	Women	LGBTQ+	Not-LGBTQ+
Mini or Fun Sized Candy or Chocolate	46%	48%	43%	52%	46%
Full Size Candy or Chocolate	12%	15%	9%	15%	11%
Non-Food Items	2%	1%	3%	2%	2%
Don’t Plan on Buying Anything	33%	28%	38%	25%	34%
Don’t Know/Refused	7%	7%	7%	7%	7%

 

What do you plan on buying to give out to trick-or-treaters for Halloween this year?
	All	Under 30	31-44	45-64	65+
Mini or Fun Sized Candy or Chocolate	46%	45%	50%	48%	40%
Full Size Candy or Chocolate	12%	14%	12%	13%	9%
Non-Food Items	2%	1%	2%	3%	2%
Don’t Plan on Buying Anything	33%	33%	26%	31%	45%
Don’t Know/Refused	7%	7%	11%	5%	5%

 

Every year, police put out bulletins warning parents that trick-or-treaters might be given poisoned candy or drugs that look like candy. How often do you think this happens in the U.S.?
	All	Republicans	Democrats	Harris	Trump
Never or Almost Never	29%	22%	36%	36%	22%
Rarely	33%	37%	30%	30%	36%
Sometimes	22%	27%	19%	19%	26%
Often	12%	10%	13%	13%	11%
Don’t Know/Refused	4%	4%	2%	3%	5%

 

 

 

Every year, police put out bulletins warning parents that trick-or-treaters might be given poisoned candy or drugs that look like candy. How often do you think this happens in the U.S.?
	All	Under 30	31-44	45-64	65+
Never or Almost Never	29%	31%	40%	28%	18%
Rarely	33%	46%	29%	31%	32%
Sometimes	22%	11%	17%	23%	32%
Often	12%	9%	11%	14%	12%
Don’t Know/Refused	4%	4%	4%	4%	6%