With Easter approaching, vaccination status may dictate how families celebrate with their loved ones

By SWNS Staff

NEWS COPY W/ VIDEO + INFOGRAPHIC

Half of American parents polled in a new survey said they want to celebrate Easter with their extended family but won’t feel comfortable until Grandma and Grandpa are fully vaccinated.

The survey asked 2,000 American parents of young children (10 years and younger) about their Easter traditions and the impact COVID-19 has had on them.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) said the best part of Easter is celebrating with extended family, but naturally things will look a little different this year due to the pandemic.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of HI-CHEW, the survey found 81% of respondents are keen to find a way to bring safely bring everyone together to celebrate Easter this year – with 53% in strong agreement.

Nearly three-quarters of parents agreed public celebrations for Easter will naturally look different in the future, and an additional 77% are excited to use this year as an opportunity to start new traditions with their families.

Many respondents shared they’ll still be celebrating with their families but will be hosting virtual celebrations and Easter egg hunts instead. Other respondents are heading outside to have a picnic at the park, feed ducks and even fly kites.

Forty-one percent of respondents are planning to only celebrate this year in their own homes and the top activities families are planning to do this year are the classic Easter egg hunt, eating their favorite candy, dyeing eggs and taking family photos.

Whether they’re sitting indoors or outdoors, 47% of respondents agreed the best part of the springtime holiday is the candy.

With this in mind, it’s no surprise that some of respondents’ new traditions this Easter will be around candy. One respondent shared they’ll be baking an Easter egg cake that’s filled with candy for their kids this year and another respondent plans to make their kids’ Easter baskets out of candy.

Parents are planning to buy an average of four bags of candy this year and will allow the kiddos to eat 12 pieces of candy on Easter, but 31% plan on allowing their kids to munch on upwards of 15 pieces.

Seven in 10 parents also said eating candy with their kids is one of their favorite parts of Easter.

Half of parents are planning to keep some for themselves, though, saying they’re likely to hide candy from the kids so they can enjoy it later.

“This past year has shown the importance of carrying on with old family traditions and embracing new ways of celebrating,” said Tatsuya Takamiya, Chief Marketing Officer of Morinaga America, Inc. “We’re thrilled that the survey shows that candy continues to be a staple part of the Easter holiday.”

Fifty-nine percent of respondents shared they’d be celebrating the holiday outside of their home this year, with the top destinations being another family member’s home (42%), church (24%), a public park (18%) and a restaurant (14%).

Regardless of how they’re planning to celebrate, the top precautions families are taking to stay safe are frequent hand washing (67%) and masking up (64%).

Half of respondents also shared they’ll be spending time with their families in an outdoor setting to adhere to social distancing measures.

“Spending time with family is a key part of Easter and we can do so by being creative and staying safe,” said Tatsuya Takamiya, Chief Marketing Officer of Morinaga America, Inc. “With Spring in bloom, everyone can enjoy outdoor gatherings and activities, hopefully, fueled by candy.” 

TOP PLACES AMERICANS WILL CELEBRATE EASTER 2021

1. At a family members home - 42%
2. Only in their own home - 41%
3. At church - 24%
4. At a public park - 18%
5. At a restaurant - 14%

TOP COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS TO SAFELY CELEBRATE EASTER 2021

1. Frequently sanitizing/washing hands - 67%
2. Wearing face masks/coverings in public - 64%
3. Spending time with family in an outdoor setting to adhere socially distance - 51%
4. Calling ahead to make reservations in an outdoor space at a restaurant - 25%

TOP EASTER ACTIVITIES

1. Easter egg hunt - 83%
2. Eating candy - 69%
3. Dyeing eggs - 69%
4. Taking family photos - 58%
5. Making Easter dinner - 57%
6. Making gift baskets - 51%
7. Making Easter arts and crafts - 42%
8. Visiting extended family - 37%
9. Taking photos with the Easter bunny - 34%
10. Attending church services - 32%

AMERICANS’ NEW EASTER TRADITIONS

Responses have been edited for length/clarity

1. A nighttime Easter egg hunt with glow in the dark eggs for kids and adults with different challenges and obstacles
2. Baking an Easter egg cake filled with candy surprise
3. Scavenger hunt. Plant jellybeans, and the next morning there will be eggs.
4. Fake growing Easter egg lollipops where you bury the jellybeans, and they sprout candy after the Easter bunny comes
5. Making the actual basket out of candy instead of buying an actual basket
6. I'm going to buy a whole lot of candy, money and small toys, hide them then I'll give my children empty baskets, I'll put on some fun music and record them while they fill their baskets.
7. A themed party with a cute “Alice and Wonderland” theme
8. At dinner, everyone shares the happiest moment of their day
9. Making rainbow pancakes on Easter morning!
10. Flying kites
11. Having a picnic at the park
12. Going to feed the ducks at the pond.
13. Giving assistance to charity homes
14. Giving baskets to those who can't due to the pandemic
15. Giving Easter baskets to elderly neighbors