Prodege’s 2023 Summer Survey: 55% of Americans Plan to Travel This Summer

• 45% will travel more than last summer.
• 73% plan to drive with 36% planning to fly to their summer destinations.
• 62% plan to attend a cookout with friends or family this summer.
• 93% plan to spend about the same amount or more on hosting cookouts this summer.
• Margaritas top the list of cocktails Americans plan to serve at summer cookouts.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Prodege, a cutting-edge consumer marketing and insights platform, today released the results from its annual summer travel, entertaining and Memorial Day survey. The findings show that 70% will kick off the summer with a Memorial Day cookout and summer travel is on the rise. 

Other Key Findings

Travel

• Time for Vacay?: 55% plan to travel this summer, with 45% indicating they will travel more than last summer.
• Top Holiday Travel: The top holiday for summer travel is the 4th of July (26%), while 30% say they plan to travel at a non-holiday time. 26% are still finalizing their travel plans, getting calendars aligned and monitoring gas prices.
• Where They Stay: 61% will be checking into a hotel or motel, while 37% will stay with friends or family.
• By Air or By Vehicle: 73% of those planning to travel this summer intend to drive to their destination(s) with 36% planning to fly.

Cookouts

• Holiday Celebrations: 4th of July is the top summer holiday for cookouts (84%), followed by Memorial Day (70%).
• Summer Soirée Splurges: 93% plan to spend about the same amount (48%) or more (45%) than last summer on hosting cookouts. 53% plan to spend more than $100 when hosting a cookout.
• Grilling Season Commences: 44% say that “BBQ/meat cooked on the grill” is the food they associate most with summer with 90% planning on grilling burgers at their cookout. Other popular cookout foods include:
  • Hotdogs (82%)
  • Chicken (66%)
  • Corn on the cob (59%)
• On the Rocks With Salt: Of those planning to serve cocktails at their summer cookouts (32%), 76% say they plan to serve margaritas. Other top summer cocktails include: 
  • Vodka sodas (46%)
  • Rum punch (45%)
  • Sangria (36%)

Summer Spending

• The Shopping List: 48% say they plan on purchasing new summer clothes. Other top items to purchase this summer include: 
  • Grilling accessories (24%)
  • A new bathing suit or cover-up (21%)
  • Items for outdoor entertaining: patio furniture, Slip ‘n Slides, lawn games, etc. (18%)
• Holiday Deals: When it comes to Memorial Day weekend sales and promotions, 34% plan to shop for clothing and 18% say they will shop for shoes or lawn & garden items.

Memorial Day Observances

• A Day Off: 81% won’t be working or attending school on Memorial Day
• Acknowledging the Meaning: 47% plan to honor the holiday’s origins with 20% of those planning to wear patriotic colors and 19% planning to fly their flag.

Prodege conducted this online survey on May 9-11, 2023 using its AI-enabled DIY programming solution, Pollfish to survey 1,000 respondents representative of U.S. general population with +/-3% margin of error.

About Prodege, LLC

Prodege (pro-dé-gée) is a cutting-edge marketing and consumer insights platform that leverages its global audience of reward program members to power its business solutions. Bolstered in 2021 by a major investment by Great Hill Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm and three strategic acquisitions in 2022, our innovative offerings will continue to enable leading brands and agencies to gather insights and market to their target audiences. Through deep consumer profiling, our clients can more effectively acquire new customers, boost engagement, increase revenue, and drive brand loyalty and product adoption. Visit www.prodege.com to learn more about our solutions.

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