Just weeks after a divisive presidential election, millions of Americans will break bread together on Thanksgiving. New research from the Pew Research Center shows how Americans plan to spend the holiday this year and which Türkiye Day traditions and activities are more common than others.

Here are the main results from the survey conducted November 12-17, 2024 among 9,609 US adults:

Nearly nine in ten Americans (91%) celebrate Thanksgiving. Vast majorities across all major demographic groups observe the holiday, but some people are more likely to do so than others. For example, 96% of Americans age 65 and older celebrate Thanksgiving, while younger adults have a slightly lower rate.

Immigration status also plays a role. While 93% of adults born in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, the same goes for 88% of immigrants who have been in the country for more than 20 years, 76% of immigrants who have been in the country for 11 to 20 years, and 76% of immigrants who have lived in the country. Also valid for . 74% of immigrants have been in the country for ten years or less.

Most Americans (74%) plan to eat Thanksgiving dinner with others this year. Another 5% plan to eat Thanksgiving dinner alone, 2% do not plan to eat Thanksgiving dinner — whether because they are working, traveling or for some other reason — and 10% do not plan to eat Thanksgiving dinner during Thanksgiving dinner He didn’t know their plans yet. questionnaire. The rest don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.

For some Americans, Thanksgiving dinner includes: herd from other people. Nearly a quarter (26%) expect to eat Thanksgiving dinner with more than 10 people this year; This includes 7% who expect to eat with more than 20 people.

Small gatherings are more common: 26% of Americans plan to have dinner with 6 to 10 other people, 15% plan to have dinner with three to five other people, and 4% plan to have dinner with one to two other people. The remaining Americans plan to eat Thanksgiving dinner alone, do not plan to eat Thanksgiving dinner, do not know their plans yet, or do not celebrate Thanksgiving.

Nearly a third (34%) of Americans plan to eat Thanksgiving dinner at home this year. whether you’re hosting others or dining alone. Another 39% plan to go to someone else’s house, while 3% plan to go to a restaurant, hotel or other public place. The rest are planning to not have Thanksgiving dinner, don’t know their plans yet, or aren’t celebrating the holiday.

Older adults are more likely than younger people to have Thanksgiving dinner at home: 40 percent of Americans 50 and older plan to do so this year, compared with 29 percent of adults under 50.

Afternoon is the most popular time for Thanksgiving dinner, although there is no consensus on whether it is in the afternoon or afternoon. Approximately 36% of Americans prefer to eat Thanksgiving dinner in the early afternoon (i.e., between noon and 3 p.m.), while 38% prefer to eat it in the late afternoon (i.e., between 3 and 6 p.m.). Only 11% of Americans prefer to eat Thanksgiving dinner in the evening (after 6 a.m.), while only 1% prefer to eat it in the morning (before noon). The other 5% have no preference.

Dinner preferences follow a regional pattern. Americans living in the Midwest and South are more likely to choose to have Thanksgiving dinner in the early afternoon rather than late afternoon. But people in the Northeast and West are more likely to prefer late afternoon to afternoon.

There are also differences according to age. Americans ages 65 and older are more likely to choose their Thanksgiving meal in the early afternoon. Meanwhile, adults under 30 are more likely to prefer afternoon to afternoon.

It is common for Americans to give thanks or express gratitude at Thanksgiving dinner. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults say someone usually prays or prays at dinner (65%) or tells them things they are grateful for (69%). A majority of Americans (56%) say someone usually does this at Thanksgiving dinner both of these things.

Praying on Thanksgiving is especially common among some religious groups. For example, 91% of White Evangelical Protestants say someone usually prays or prays at Thanksgiving dinner. The same is true for 88% of Black Protestants, 74% of Catholics, and 72% of non-Evangelical White Protestants. Prayer is much less common among those who say their religion is “nothing specific” (45%), agnostics (39%), atheists (22%) and Jewish adults (22%).

Majorities in religious groups say someone usually expresses gratitude at the Thanksgiving meal. Many non-religious Americans say this, too: 59 percent of people whose religion is “nothing in particular,” 61 percent of agnostics and 48 percent of atheists say someone at dinner usually says things they are grateful for.

Driving and Thanksgiving go hand in hand. The majority of Americans (89%) who plan to eat Thanksgiving dinner away from home this year say driving is their main way to get there. This is true for 38% of U.S. adults overall who expect to drive to their destination.

Only 2% of Americans expect to fly, while even fewer expect to use another form of transportation, such as local or regional transit.

Relating to: Many Americans perceive that dangerous driving is increasing; 78% see cell phone distraction as a big problem

Most Thanksgiving trips last less than an hour. The majority (69%) of those planning to eat Thanksgiving dinner away from home this year expect their trip to last less than an hour. This may have something to do with the closeness of family members: 2022 Pew Research Center survey55% of Americans said they live within an hour’s drive of at least some of their extended family.

Among adults overall, 29% expect their Thanksgiving trip to take less than an hour. Another 13% expect the process to take longer than that; 6% expect it to take three hours or more.

Relating to: 6 facts about Americans and family for Thanksgiving

Americans expect to do a wide variety of things besides eating this Thanksgiving. Some long-standing Thanksgiving traditions are, watching football or a paradeis still very popular: 35% of Americans say they are extremely or very likely to watch sports on Thanksgiving, and 19% say the same about watching a parade. Men are more likely than women to say they will watch sports, while women are more likely than men to say they will watch a parade.

When it comes to talking, 35% of Americans say they are extremely or very likely to talk about work or school on Thanksgiving. And after the presidential election More than 153 million Americans voted26 percent expect the election to be close. A similar share (24%) expects to talk about popular culture such as music or movies, while far fewer (4%) expect to do so to go a movie.

Thanksgiving is a time for charity for many Americans, with 19% saying they are extremely or very likely to donate food or items, while 4% expect to volunteer somewhere.

Thanksgiving is also the unofficial start of the celebrations. holiday shopping season. Accordingly, 15% of Americans say they are very or very likely to shop for the holiday on Thanksgiving this year.

Getting some exercise on Thanksgiving is a less popular idea: Only 4% of adults say they are extremely or very likely to exercise, while 3% expect to participate in a community walk or run, such as a turkey trot.

Following Donald Trump’s re-election on November 5, Trump voters are more likely than Kamala Harris voters to say they will talk about the presidential election this Thanksgiving. 36 percent of Americans who voted for Trump say they are extremely or very likely to talk about the election on Thanksgiving. A smaller share of Americans who voted for Harris (24%) say the same.

Those most likely to talk about the election are Trump voters who identify as conservatives: 39 percent say they are extremely or very likely to do so on Thanksgiving, compared with 28 percent of Trump voters who describe themselves as moderates or liberals. Among Harris voters, 28% of self-identified liberals expect to talk about the election on Thanksgiving, compared to 20% of self-identified conservatives or moderates.

In fact, conservative Trump voters are just as likely to talk about the election this Thanksgiving as they are to talk about work or school (36%), and much more likely to talk about it than popular culture (17%). By comparison, liberal Harris voters are more likely to talk about work or school (42%) and pop culture (38%) than the election.

Note: Here Questions used for this analysis, top row And survey methodology.