Spooky Economy Aside, Most Americans Will Celebrate Halloween

— NPD reports candy remains the dominant Halloween treat

Chicago, Ill., October 22, 2008 – Somber economic news and election frenzy will be put on hold on October 31 as nearly 8 of 10 Americans participate in at least one Halloween activity, according to a report by The NPD Group, a leading market research company. The top two ranked activities in which they will likely participate are giving out candy for trick-or-treating and eating candy, according to The Halloween Holiday Profile Report based on NPD's SnackTrack®, which monitors consumption of snack foods, both in-home and away.

Other findings from the NPD Halloween Holiday Profile Report include:

Candy continues to have a nearly exclusive hold as the type of treat handed out on Halloween.

82 percent of treat givers hand out mini or bite-size candy bars, and 45 percent hand out multiple types of candy treats, such as mini candy bars, lollipops, gummy candy, non-chocolate assorted candies.

Only 20 percent of Halloween revelers let trick-or-treaters pick out their own treat from what is being offered.

Over 40 percent of treat givers shop for the treats they hand out within days of the holiday. Approximately 25 percent run out of treats on Halloween and when they do responses include: simply turning off the porch lights, not answering the door, buying more, handing out other food/snacks on hand, giving out coins, and even giving out the treats their kids have just collected.

One in four individuals report that someone in their household bakes for Halloween... cookies are the most popular baked Halloween treat.

Compared to individuals of other ages, kids 6-12 years old are the most likely to participate in some kind of Halloween activity, 2-5 years old follow. At 10 years trick-or-treating begins to decline – sharp declines in participation occur during the teen years when trick-or-treating becomes more about handing out the Halloween treats.

The top three choices for Halloween outfits for kids 2-17 are TV/movie character, fairy tale character and action hero. There are definite gender skews in the type of costumes kids wear.

For more information about this and other NPD SnackTrack® reports contact Kevin Zieziula at kevin_zieziula@npd.com or 847-692-1815.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com.