Only 9% of voters plan to shop in-store on Black Friday

With Thanksgiving approaching, the countdown to another American tradition has begun – Black Friday. Amid the pandemic, holiday shopping plans are looking different this year, and Americans are prioritizing their health and safety over deals and savings.

According to the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, most voters (77%) do not plan on participating in any in-store shopping on Black Friday, while 14% say they have yet to make up their mind.

While 30-to 44-year-olds (16%) and 18-to 29-year-olds (11%) are more likely to say they will be hitting the shops, only 8% of voters between 45 and 64, and just 2% of voters over the age of 65, plan to do so.

The little interest in in-person shopping is in large part related to COVID-19 safety concerns. Half of voters (54%) say they believe it is not safe to go shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Voters in the West (62%) are especially likely to say they believe in-person shopping on Black Friday is not safe.

Three in five (63%) voters are likewise concerned that in-person Black Friday shopping could lead to an outbreak of COVID-19. Democrats (88%) are more likely than Independents (55%) and Republicans (42%) to express such fears.

See the toplines and crosstabs from this week’s Economist/YouGov Poll

Methodology: The Economist survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,500 registered voters interviewed online between November 15 - 17, 2020. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the American Community Survey, conducted by the US Bureau of the Census, as well as 2016 Presidential vote, registration status, geographic region, and news interest. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all US citizens. The margin of error is approximately 3.2% for the overall sample.

Image: Getty