Independence Day celebrations should be getting back to normal across the country this year after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted observances of the holiday last year.
Among those who say they typically celebrate the Fourth of July, the percentage of those who say they will “meet up in person as normal” has skyrocketed from 2020 to 2021. Other options, like taking in-person COVID precautions or talking with loved ones remotely, have fallen. The number of typical observers who don’t plan to celebrate has also dropped from year to year.
Looking at the data another way, it’s clear that in-person celebrations are way up this year.
Among those who plan to celebrate in person, taking precautionary measures has nosedived from 51% of in-person observers last year to 19% this year.
According to CivicScience data, cookouts and parties will be the most common way of celebrating the Fourth of July this year, followed by watching professional fireworks displays. Meanwhile, only about 3 in 10 Americans said they were considering buying their own July 4 fireworks.
More than three-tenths of the country could be taking to the highways — or even taking to the air — with trips more than 25 miles away from their homes for this Independence Day.
Who’s Celebrating and Who’s Not?
Interestingly, people who are planning to see fireworks displays are more than five times more likely than others to say they have difficulty controlling their spending.
The popularity of Fourth of July cookouts is highest in the Northeastern states, while the popularity of fireworks displays and buying fireworks is highest in the Midwest. Americans in the West were the least likely to participate in any of these activities.
With coronavirus vaccinations making everyone feel more comfortable gathering together, traditional in-person Independence Day celebrations are back in a big way in 2021 – though the ways that we celebrate might vary a little bit across the country.
