Americans Are Over 'Sexy' Halloween Costumes, Survey Finds

A recent survey of 2,000 Americans reveals a notable decline in enthusiasm for Halloween costumes, with 76% of respondents indicating they do not plan to dress up this year. Correspondingly, nearly 77% stated they will not attend a Halloween party.

Despite the overall dip in participation, younger generations appear to maintain more interest. Gen Z and millennials are 10% more likely to dress up compared to other age groups, and a majority (68%) believe that age is not a barrier to wearing a costume.

The survey also highlighted a common sentiment that certain costumes have become overused, with 75% of respondents agreeing. The most frequently cited overdone costume category was the "sexy" version of any character, with 29% of participants expressing a desire to move past this trend. Pirate costumes followed closely at 25%, and variations of the Joker costume were named by 22% of respondents.

Other costumes deemed stale included cowboys/cowgirls, Harley Quinn, hippies, and Minions. Participants also expressed fatigue with "Thing 1 and Thing 2," "Where's Waldo," and mime costumes.

When asked about their own costume plans, respondents cited a range of creative ideas. Unique costume suggestions included a "circus peanut," a "flock camera," and a "Polish sausage." More specific character costumes mentioned were Dr. Alan Grant from "Jurassic Park" and the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz." Many plan to keep it simple by wearing "Happy Halloween" or pumpkin-themed T-shirts.

The survey also found that 68% of Americans agree that one is never too old to participate in Halloween festivities.

The top ten most overdone Halloween costumes according to the survey are:

1. "Sexy" version of anything (29%)
2. Pirate (25%)
3. Joker (22%)
4. Cowboy/cowgirl (21%)
5. Harley Quinn (18%)
6. Hippie (13%)
7. Minion (13%)
8. Thing 1 and Thing 2 (11%)
9. Where's Waldo (10%)
10. Mime (6%)