How did you vote? Find out the results of our Halloween survey!
As the damp autumn leaves begin to fall and bright pumpkins are lighting up our neighbourhoods, Ireland’s Halloween spirit is in full swing! But what are the trends and preferences of the Irish when it comes to this beloved holiday?
A recent survey conducted by Fun Place in October 2023, with 591 respondents, has unveiled fascinating insights into the world of Halloween in Ireland.
How much is Halloween worth in Ireland?
Halloween enthusiasts are willing to invest in the holiday. Among respondents, 54% plan to spend between €50 and €200 on Halloween this year, with 14% ready to splurge between €200 and €400.
Only 2% have chosen a frugal route, opting to spend nothing at all.
Spooky home decor: 83% of Irish homes will decorate for Halloween
A staggering 83% of respondents are all set to transform their homes into Halloween wonderlands this year, proving that the tradition of decorating remains alive and well.
Just 6% of survey participants said they had no plan to decorate.
When is the best time to decorate for Halloween?
When it comes to timing, October is (unsurprisingly) the month of choice for 82% of respondents, with 40% leaning towards the middle of the month and 42% preferring the start of October.
For those who can’t wait, 6% start decorating in August or earlier, while 8% prefer September.
Interestingly, 6% of people like to wait until the last minute, decorating on or just before the 31st of October.
Eco-friendly Halloween is a growing concern
Eco-consciousness is on the rise, with 29% of respondents emphasizing the importance of eco-friendly Halloween decorations. Meanwhile, 32% find it somewhat important or not important at all.
Ireland’s favourite costumes for 2023 revealed
While some remain undecided, 43% of respondents already know what they’ll wear this Halloween. The most popular costumes in this order, chosen by 263 participants are:
- Witch
- Vampire
- Barbie
- Zombie
- Batman
- Cat
- Member of the Addams family (Wednesday is the favourite)
- Beetlejuice
Ireland’s favourite Halloween activities
When it comes to Halloween activities, there are clear favourites. The survey reveals that:
- 82% are planning to watch a Halloween movie or TV show
- 81% will wear a costume
- 72% intend to hand out treats to trick-or-treaters
- 70% plan to carve pumpkins
- 64% have plans to attend Halloween events outside their homes
- 56% will be baking or cooking Halloween-themed foods
- 56% are going to get into the spooky spirit with Halloween music
- 49% will celebrate Halloween with games and activities at home
- 40% plan to go trick-or-treating
What influences costume choice?
Choosing the perfect Halloween costume is a delicate balance. 45% base their choice on budget, while 38% let their DIY skills influence their decision.
Comfort comes next at 32%, and ease of purchase (online or in-store) follows closely at 30%. Matching with a group, family, or couple costume is an important factor for 25% of respondents.
Additionally, 24% find the theme of the Halloween event they’re attending pivotal. Scary factor and environmental-friendliness also play a role for 21% and 10% of respondents, respectively.
6% admit to being swayed by social media trends.
Halloween costumes and body shape
When it comes to shopping for Halloween costumes that fit well, 34% of respondents find it challenging. However, our survey found that 50% have an easier time and are confident in their ability to find costumes that suit their body shape.
Age-appropriate Halloween costumes for kids
Survey respondents have mixed feelings about the availability of age-appropriate Halloween costumes for children. While 63% believe there are enough options, 21% aren’t so sure, and 16% feel there could be more suitable choices for their kids.
Ireland’s undisputed favourite Halloween movie
When it comes to the most cherished Halloween movies in Ireland, “Hocus Pocus” stands tall as the clear winner, securing an impressive 23.9% of the votes, according to our survey.
What’s striking is the notable gap between “Hocus Pocus” and the runner-ups. The “Halloween” movies were the next most popular, at 13.4% and “Nightmare Before Christmas” at 7.1%.
Several cult classics make the list, including “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Beetlejuice,” and “The Shining,” but none of these were as popular as the beloved “Hocus Pocus” (1993) and the three Sanderson sister witches.
How safe is trick or treating in Ireland?
In a fascinating regional perspective, 80% of respondents believe their local areas are safe for children to trick or treat. Of the respondents who felt their area was not safe, the top most unsafe counties were Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Wexford and Laois.
Thank you for taking part!
With Halloween just around the corner, these survey results offer a glimpse into the Irish fascination with all things spooky and the changing dynamics of Halloween traditions and choices.
Whether you’re preparing for a frightful feast, gearing up in an eco-friendly costume, or scouting the best Halloween movies, it’s clear that the Halloween spirit is alive and well in Ireland.
Survey details
Here’s a full breakdown of how we completed our survey:
Methodology
- All data collected in October 2023
- 591 respondents to the survey
- Age range of respondents between under 18 and 84
- Options for ‘Prefer not to answer’ and ‘No opinion’ were given for all questions
Questions
Q1 Will you decorate your home for Halloween this year?
Total respondents: 536
- 83% plan to decorate their home for Halloween this year (448 respondents)
- 6% do not plan to decorate their home for Halloween this year (31 respondents)
Q2. When is the best time to decorate for Halloween?
Total respondents: 537
- 40% believe the best time to decorate is the middle of October
- 42% believe the best time to decorate is the start of October
- 82% believe the best time to decorate for Halloween is at the start or middle of October (442 respondents)
- 2% believe the best time to decorate is August or earlier
- 8% believe the best time to decorate is September
- 10% believe the best time to decorate is between August (or earlier) and September (53 respondents)
- 6% believe the best time to decorate is on or just before 31st October
Q3. How important is it to you to have eco-friendly Halloween decorations?
Total respondents: 524
- 12% believe it’s not at all important
- 22% believe it’s slightly important
- 32% believe it’s not at all or only slightly important (180 respondents)
- 37% believe it’s moderately important
- 20% believe it’s very important
- 9% believe it’s extremely important
- 29% state that it’s very or extremely important to have eco-friendly Halloween decorations (152 respondents)
Q4. Approximately how much do you plan to spend on Halloween in total this year? (e.g., including costumes, snacks, decorations, makeup, accessories, events etc.)
Total respondents: 537
- 2% of people plan to spend nothing (10 respondents)
- 5% of people plan to spend between 1 and 19 (28 respondents)
- 20% plan to spend between 20 and 49 (106 respondents)
- 31% plan to spend between 50 and 99 (170 respondents)
- 23% plan to spend between 100 and 199 (124 respondents)
- 11% plan to spend between 200 and 299 (58 respondents)
- 2% plan to spend between 300 and 399 (13 respondents)
- 3% plan to spend more than 400 (18 respondents)
Breakdown of this data:
- 54% of people plan to spend between €50 and €200 on Halloween this year (294 respondents)
- 14% plan to spend between €200 and €400 (71 respondents)
- 3% plan to spend more than €400 (18 respondents)
- Only 2% said they didn’t plan to spend anything (10 respondents)
Q5. Which, if any, of these Halloween activities do you plan to participate in this year for Halloween? Choose all that apply
Total respondents: 537
- 82% plan to watch a Halloween movie or TV show
- 81% plan to dress up in a costume
- 72% plan to hand out treats to trick or treaters
- 70% plan to carve a pumpkin
- 64% plan to attend a Halloween event outside my home
- 56% plan to bake or cook Halloween foods
- 56% plan to listen to Halloween music
- 49% plan to celebrate Halloween with games/ activities at home
- 40% plan to go trick or treating
Q6. What influences your choice of Halloween costume?
Total respondents: 536
- 45% state it depends on their budget
- 38% state their choice is influenced by their DIY skills
- 32% state their choice is influenced by how comfortable the outfit is
- 30% state their choice is influenced by how easy it is to buy (online or in store)
- 25% state their choice is influenced by matching with a group, family or couple costume
- 24% state their choice is influenced by the theme of the Halloween event they attend
- 21% state their choice is influenced by how scary the costume is
- 10% state their choice is influenced by how environmentally-friendly the costume is
- 6% state their choice is influenced by how popular a costume is on social media
Q7. What Halloween costume do you plan to wear this year?
Total respondents: 535
- 43% of respondents weren’t sure what they planned to wear at the time of completing the survey
- 8% didn’t plan to wear a costume
- Of the 49% (263 respondents) who provided an answer, the top 15 most popular Halloween costumes this year included:
- Witch
- Vampire
- Barbie
- Zombie
- Batman
- Cat
- Addams family
- Beetlejuice
- Queen
- Princess
- Alien
- Bunny
- Devil
- Dracula
- Fairy
Q8. Do you find it easy to shop for Halloween costumes for your body shape?
Total respondents: 532
- 17% of respondents stated definitely not
- 17% of respondents stated probably not
- 34% of people do not find it easy to shop for Halloween costumes for their body shape (184 respondents)
- 16% of respondents stated might or might not
- 32% of respondents stated probably yes
- 18% of respondents stated definitely yes
- 50% of people find it easy to shop for Halloween costumes for their body shape (265 respondents)
Q9. Do you think that there are enough age-appropriate Halloween costumes for children?
Total respondents: 532
- 8% of respondents stated definitely not
- 13% of respondents stated probably not
- 21% of people do not believe there are enough age-appropriate Halloween costumes for children (115 respondents)
- 16% of respondents stated not sure
- 39% of respondents stated probably yes
- 24% of respondents stated definitely yes
- 63% of people believe there are enough age-appropriate Halloween costumes for children (334 respondents)
Q10. What’s your favourite Halloween movie?
Total respondents: 514
Ireland’s top 20 favourite Halloween movies include:
- Hocus Pocus (23.9%)
- Halloween (13.4%)
- Nightmare Before Christmas (7.1%)
- Scream (5.6%)
- Halloweentown (3.0%)
- Nightmare on Elm Street (2.9%)
- Beetlejuice (2.4%)
- Coraline (1.9%)
- Addams Family (1.9%)
- Corpse Bride (1.7%)
- Saw (1.5%)
- Friday the 13th (1.3%)
- The Shining (1.3%)
- Scary Movie (1.1%)
- IT (0.9%)
- The Exorcist (0.9%)
- Casper (0.7%)
- Ghostbusters (0.7%)
- Paranorman (0.7%)
- The Conjuring (0.7%)
Q11. Do you think your local area is safe for children to trick or treat?
Total respondents: 536
- 4% of respondents stated definitely not
- 8% of respondents stated probably not
- 12% of people do not believe their local area is safe for children to trick or treat (65 respondents)
- 8% of respondents stated not sure
- 36% of respondents stated probably yes
- 44% of respondents stated definitely yes
- 80% of people believe their local area is safe for children to trick or treat (433 respondents)
The counties where people felt that the area was either ‘probably not’ or ‘definitely not’ safe for children to trick or treat can be seen in the table below:
| County | Of the 12% of respondents who stated their local area was either ‘probably not’ or ‘definitely not’ safe for children to trick or treat |
| Dublin | 40.0% |
| Wicklow | 7.1% |
| Kildare | 5.7% |
| Wexford | 5.7% |
| Laois | 4.2% |
| Galway | 2.8% |
| Limerick | 2.8% |
| Louth | 2.8% |
| Meath | 2.8% |
| Offaly | 2.8% |
| Tipperary | 2.8% |
| Cavan | 1.4% |
| Cork | 1.4% |
| Donegal | 1.4% |
| Leitrim | 1.4% |
| Mayo | 1.4% |
| Sligo | 1.4% |
| Waterford | 1.4% |
| Antrim | 0.0% |
| Armagh | 0.0% |
| Carlow | 0.0% |
| Clare | 0.0% |
| Derry | 0.0% |
| Down | 0.0% |
| Fermanagh | 0.0% |
| Kerry | 0.0% |
| Kilkenny | 0.0% |
| Longford | 0.0% |
| Monaghan | 0.0% |
| Roscommon | 0.0% |
| Tyrone | 0.0% |
| Westmeath | 0.0% |
