America's Research Group

WITCHES ARE STILL THE MOST POPULAR CHOICE FOR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES BUT THE NEWSWORTHY FIREMAN IS #2

Kids overwhelming Halloween costume choice is the witch, and this year is no different from previous seasons, according to a new Halloween survey conducted by America’s Research Group (ARG). 11.5% of consumers said their children wanted a witch’s costume for this year’s trick or treating festivities. That figure is actually down 1% from last year due to the increased popularity of firemen, which was the #2 choice at 9.1%. “Normally, firemen/policemen have a combination of 8% desirability,” says Britt Beemer, chairman and founder of America’s Research Group, “but in the aftermath of September 11th, children’s awareness of the heroic efforts of firemen, have inspired them to emulate one this Halloween. This dramatic increase to 15.1, is nearly double the amount in previous years when they were a choice of only about 4.5%.” The #3 choice of costume was also surprising—the popularity of Angels is up to 7.9%, nearly double the 4% from last year. Here are the top choices in this year’s survey:

TOP TEN HALLOWEEN COSTUMES:

Witch	11.5%
Fireman	9.1%
Angel	7.9%
Cinderella	7.2%
Policeman	6.6%
Scooby Do	6.1%
Clown	5.9%
Superman	5.6%
Ghost	5.5%
Pirate	5.4%

Safety is uppermost in the minds of parents this year. “Nearly 3 in 5 parents will restrict the area their children will be allowed to trick or treat in this Halloween,” reports Beemer. “This is in sharp contrast from last year where there was a 6% increase in the number of neighborhoods they permitted their children to go.”

This survey of 1,000 people was conducted Wednesday, October 24th and Thursday, October 25th. It has an error factor of plus/minus 4.3%.

Britt Beemer is available for interview.

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