West Des Moines, Iowa – November 21, 2017 – Fewer Americans will talk about politics or football at the Thanksgiving table this year, while 96 percent of those dinners will still feature turkey.

According to the 2017 Meyocks Thanksgiving Survey1, 36 percent of Americans say that politics will be strictly off limits as families gather to gives thanks, up from 30 percent a year ago. In addition, 41 percent of Americans say they will talk about football, down from 47 percent in 2016.

“Fewer Americans will talk politics or football – perhaps because football has become more political,” says Doug Jeske, president of Meyocks, the branding firm that conducted the survey. “Kneeling protests during the National Anthem may be further dividing the country, but we can apparently still agree on turkey – whether the home is rural or urban or in a red or blue state.”

Families also still agree on mashed potatoes (served in 78 percent of homes), pie (77 percent), dinner rolls (73 percent), homemade gravy (67 percent) and homemade stuffing (67 percent).

If you’re lucky enough to be at a Thanksgiving meal that features pie, it’s most likely you will be served pumpkin (44 percent), followed by apple (29 percent) and pecan (19 percent).

Family is number one blessing, number two stress

Family continues to be the number one reason to give thanks – and the second-largest stressor of the holiday, according to the Meyocks study. Perhaps not so coincidentally, in more than a third of homes (35 percent), families will allow phones and tablets as a distraction at the Thanksgiving table.

“Unfortunately, we may use our technology to get away from the family member across the table,” Jeske says, “or we just may be getting started on holiday shopping.”

According to the survey, 34 percent of Americans plan to shop for something other than items for the holiday meal on Thanksgiving Day, and 26 percent will shop at a brick-and-mortar store.

Black Friday, however, remains a bigger shopping day. More people will shop online (53 percent) than in-store (37 percent), and the most popular time to shop in-store on Black Friday is between 6 a.m. and noon.

Most Americans (71 percent) shop for the sales on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday, but nearly a quarter (24 percent) point to the social aspects of shopping. Most shoppers (66 percent) are shopping for others, but more than a third (34 percent) have their own needs in mind.

About Meyocks

Meyocks, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, is a full-service branding and advertising agency that focuses on food, agriculture, health and mentor brands. For more information, visit meyocks.com/turkey.

[1]The 2017 Meyocks Thanksgiving Survey was conducted nationwide via an online panel with 1,630 Americans age 18 and over. For results based on the total sample of American adults, the margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

2017 Meyocks Thanksgiving Survey Highlights1

n  41 percent of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with two or more big meals.

n  Of Thanksgiving meals featuring turkey, 92 percent will roast the bird in the oven, 5 percent will smoke the turkey and 3 percent will fry the turkey.

n  50 percent of Americans prefer light meat turkey, 23 percent prefer dark meat and 25 percent say either is fine. Two percent don’t eat turkey.

n  The most common side dishes are mashed potatoes (served at 78 percent of Thanksgiving dinners), pie (77 percent), dinner rolls (73 percent), homemade gravy (67 percent) and homemade stuffing (67 percent).

o   Mashed potatoes (78 percent) are more popular than sweet potatoes (64 percent).

o   Homemade stuffing (66 percent) is more popular than boxed stuffing (26 percent).

o   Homemade gravy (67 percent) is more popular than canned gravy (17 percent).

o   Dinner rolls (73 percent) are more popular than corn bread (22 percent).

o   Green beans (59 percent) are more popular than corn (44 percent) and carrots (20 percent).

n  Alcohol will be available at 62 percent of Thanksgiving meals.

n  Besides turkey, Americans say Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without: homemade stuffing (32 percent), mashed potatoes (15 percent) and pie (12 percent).

n  27 percent of Thanksgiving celebrations feature a “kids table,” though 28 percent of the time there’s a kids table, adults sit there as well.

n  Family (65 percent) is the most popular Thanksgiving dinner discussion topic, followed by non-political current events (45 percent), kids (44 percent) and career/work (41 percent).

n  Politics are off-limits as a discussion topic at 36 percent of Thanksgiving dinners, followed by money/finances (28 percent) and family troubles (25 percent).

n  59 percent of Americans always say a prayer before the Thanksgiving meal, 24 percent sometimes say a prayer and 17 percent never say a prayer.

n  38 percent of Americans nap after the Thanksgiving meal. Of those who nap, 4 percent nap less than 15 minutes, 13 percent nap between 15 and 30 minutes, 17 percent nap more than a half hour and 4 percent say they are out the rest of the night.

n  To work off the Thanksgiving meal, 35 percent of Americans take a walk, 24 percent increase their exercise routine in the days or weeks after Thanksgiving and 18 percent play with the kids.

n  Family is the favorite part of Thanksgiving for 46 percent of Americans, followed by food (26 percent).

o   Family is the favorite part of Thanksgiving for 42 percent of men, followed by food (29 percent).

o   Family is the favorite part of Thanksgiving for 50 percent of women, followed by food (23 percent).

n  Americans are most likely to give thanks for family (62 percent), followed by health (21 percent).

o   A majority of women (65 percent) say they are most thankful for family, compared to 58 percent of men. And more men (6 percent) say they are most thankful for food, compared with 4 percent of women.

n  The top stressor for Americans during Thanksgiving is preparing and providing the meal (47 percent), followed by family (46 percent) and shopping (29 percent).

o   Preparing and providing the meal causes the most stress for women (51 percent), while family is the top stressor for men (47 percent).

n  64 percent of Americans will take time off from work around the Thanksgiving holiday.

n  34 percent of Americans plan to shop for something other than items for the holiday meal on Thanksgiving Day, and 26 percent will shop at a brick-and-mortar store.

n  On Black Friday, more people will shop online (53 percent) than in-store (37 percent).

n  The most popular time to shop in-store on Black Friday is between 6 a.m. and noon (19 percent), followed by between noon and 6 p.m. (14 percent) and between midnight and 6 a.m. (12 percent).

n  Most Americans (71 percent) shop for the sales on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday, but nearly a quarter (24 percent) point to the social aspects of shopping.

n  Most shoppers (66 percent) are shopping for others, but more than a third (34 percent) have their own needs in mind.

[1]The 2017 Meyocks Thanksgiving Survey was conducted nationwide via an online panel with 1,630 Americans age 18 and over. For results based on the total sample of American adults, the margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

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