In a national online survey, the National Confectioners Association (NCA) found that Americans prefer chocolate (60%) to non-chocolate (40%) in their trick-or-treat pumpkins. It’s no surprise then that chocolate came in first place, followed closely by Americans’ second choice: gummy candy.
Americans’ third choice is candy corn. While there is some debate about the best way to enjoy this classic Halloween candy, most Americans say they enjoy the whole piece of candy corn at once (52%), while 31% of people start at the narrow white end and 17% of people start with the wider yellow end.
Some additional facts for the 2021 Halloween season, per NCA data, include:
- 82% of people — and 93% of young parents — plan to celebrate Halloween this year.
- 80% of Americans plan to trick-or-treat in 2021.
- 82% of people are confident they will find safe and creative ways to celebrate the Halloween season.
- 79% of Americans say they plan to fill a Halloween candy bowl this season.
The national online survey was conducted by 210 Analytics on behalf of the NCA. The research was fielded June 3-8, 2021, among a sample of 1,500 U.S. adults (18 years of age or older). The margin of error associated with the survey is 2.5% at the 95% confidence level.