Majority of American Want Shopping Free Thanksgiving

A new Morning Consult survey finds most Americans would prefer retail stores remain closed for the holiday: 52 percent oppose stores opening for shopping on Thanksgiving Day, while 31 percent support it.

Americans, it appears, believe Thanksgiving should be a day of rest for all. The most common reasons why folks believe the day should be shopping free center around spending time with family and employees not having to work on the holiday.

Women (58%) were more likely than men (47%) to oppose Thanksgiving Day shopping. However, younger Americans (18-21) are more likely to support it Among adults who support Thanksgiving Day shopping, 52 percent said they were attracted by deals offered that day, while 41 percent said it may be some people’s only day off to shop. The youngest adults were most likely to cite the attraction of holiday pay. Half of adults said they’d be more likely to plan a future visit to a store that decided to stay closed on Thanksgiving Day.