The scariest thing many parents will see this Halloween may be their bank balance, according to LivingSocial Families. The survey found that more than half of families plan to reduce their Halloween spending this year due to the economy. Among the other findings:
- 53% of families plan to reduce their Halloween spending this year due to the economy.
- 35% plan to spend less on costumes and decorations, 14% are giving out less candy, and 12% are making their families’ costumes this year instead of buying them.
- 65% of parents check their kids’ candy for tampering.
- 15% have seen a ghost before.
- 50% of parents said they steal their kids’ Halloween candy.
- 42% of parents believe that young girls are dressing too sexy for Halloween.
- 17% dress up their pets for the holiday.
- 10% hate dressing up for Halloween.
- 21% of parents said their city is not safe for trick-or-treating.
- Only 5% do not celebrate Halloween.
| Top Family Halloween Activities | |||
| 1. Trick or Treating | 78% | 6. Making Halloween Arts and Crafts | 39% |
| 2. Pumpkin Carving | 71% | 7. Making Halloween Treats for School | 36% |
| 3. Decorating the House | 62% | 8. Visiting a Haunted House | 35% |
| 4. Going to a Pumpkin Patch | 53% | 9. Going to a Halloween Party for Adults | 29% |
| 5. Attending a Kids’ Halloween Party | 45% | ||
| Top 10 Favorite Halloween Candies | |||
| 1. Reese’s | 43% | 6. Milky Way | 22% |
| 2. Snickers | 38% | 7. Butterfinger | 22% |
| 3. M&Ms | 37% | 8. Candy Corn | 18% |
| 4. Kit Kat | 36% | 9. 3 Musketeers | 18% |
| 5. Twix | 29% | 10. Skittles | 17% |
| The Five Best Cities for Trick-or-Treating (as ranked by residents) | |
| 1. Chicago | 4. Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| 2. Cleveland | 5. Los Angeles |
| 3. Dallas | |
| The Five Most Haunted Cities (by reported ghosts/ghost stories) | |
| 1. Boston | 4. Chicago |
| 2. New York City | 5. Philadelphia |
| 3. Washington, DC | |
| The Five Best Party Cities for Adults on Halloween | |
| 1. Miami | 4. Atlanta |
| 2. Orlando | 5. Tampa/St. Petersburg |
| 3. New York City | |
| The Five Stingiest Cities for Candy | |
| 1. New York City | 4. Washington, DC |
| 2. Los Angeles | 5. Atlanta |
| 3. Miami | |
| The Five Most Dangerous Cities for Trick or Treating (self-reported by residents) | |
| 1. Miami | 4. Houston |
| 2. New York City | 5. San Francisco |
| 3. Atlanta | |
