Candy tops Halloween spending list, followed by...

With Halloween around the corner, half of Americans say that inflation will impact how they celebrate the holiday.

According to new survey data from LendingTree, most Americans (88%) plan to make Halloween-related purchases this year. Although 50% of this group says inflation will impact their spending, a similar number (48%) of those planning Halloween purchases expect to splurge on some items, including costumes (20%), themed activities (18%) and decorations (17%).

By age group, millennials (ages 27 to 42) are the most likely to spend on Halloween with a whopping 94% saying they will, with Gen Zers (ages 18 to 26) not far behind at 93%. Nearly nine in 10 (87%) Gen Xers (ages 43 to 58) plan to make Halloween purchases, followed by 76% of baby boomers (ages 59 to 77).

LendingTree found that the average spending amount is expected to be $162, with parents of young children planning to spend substantially more at $245, on average.

“There’s a general sense of financial unease that a lot of people are feeling right now,” said LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz. “After a few years of holiday splurging to make up for the lost time of the pandemic years, people may play Halloween a little more cautiously when it comes to spending.”

The vast majority of Halloween spenders (84%) plan to pass out candy on Halloween, and 12% of those surveyed say they plan to hand out something other than candy. Four in 10 (43%) Halloween celebrators plan to spend the night watching spooky movies or TV shows.

Candy tops the expected Halloween purchases this year at 62%, with pumpkins and/or carving supplies (34%) as the next most popular purchase. Following that, Americans plan to buy:

• Outdoor decorations (31%)
• Indoor decorations (31%)
• Halloween-related food items (not including candy) (26%)
• Costumes for themselves (24%)
• Costumes for their kids (23%)
• Halloween-related accessories (not part of a costume) (21%)
• Arts and crafts (19%)
• Halloween-related beverages, including alcohol (19%)
• Halloween-related clothing (not part of a costume) (18%)
• Costumes for their pets (16%)
• Greeting cards (12%)
• Other (1%)

When it comes to what consumers plan on “splurging” on this Halloween, costumes top the list at 20%. Other items include:

• Themed activities (18%)
• Decorations (17%)
• Full-sized candy to hand out (15%)
• Expenses for hosting a Halloween party (14%)
• Travel expenses to a Halloween-themed destination (10%)
• Something else (5%)

For the latest survey, LendingTree interviewed 2,000 U.S. consumers. The full report can be found here.