Events of 2020 Put a Damper on 4th of July Celebrations

July 4th is a time when Americans celebrate and show their patriotism, but the events of this year have put a damper on that.

Nearly one-in-three Americas surveyed by WalletHub indicated they feel less patriotic than in the past. And celebrations will be more subdued. WalletHub says last year Americans spent around $6.7 billion on food, travel, patriotic decorations and more. This year, as 82% of Americans surveyed said they feel restricted or less free, more than 78% reported they are spending less money this year than last.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of survey respondents said they will not travel for the 4th of July this year. More than one-in-four said they do not feel comfortable going to the beach. However, 41% indicated they would feel more comfortable going to the beach if everyone was wearing facemasks, and 34% said they would feel more comfortable if everyone stayed six feet apart. But, 73% reported they do not trust others to be responsible with social distancing on the 4th of July.

Two-thirds (67%) of respondents said they think local governments should not use taxpayer dollars for fireworks displays this year.

As for overall summer plans, only 25% are keeping their plans. Thirty-seven percent reported postponing their summer plans, and 38% indicated they cancelled them.

Among PLANSPONSOR readers, most of those surveyed (56.7%) said there will be no fireworks display for the 4th of July where they live this year. Twenty percent indicated there will be. Where there will be a fireworks display, 86.4% reported they will not attend, while 9.1% said they will and 4.5% are unsure.

Twenty percent of responding readers will be traveling for the 4th of July holiday this year, while 73.3% will not.