GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Despite the historic tradition of summertime vacations, almost half of Americans interviewed in a recent Gallup poll will not be taking a vacation this summer. According to a Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll conducted the weekend of July 16-18, only 53% of Americans have already taken at least one vacation so far this summer, or plan to do so before the end of the summer. The rest will apparently stay put or keep working. Of those that will be taking a vacation, a lucky 50% said they would manage to sneak in more than one vacation. August is the most popular month for vacations, with 44% of those planning a vacation this summer scheduling it for this month.
The Average American to Spend 13 Days Vacationing This
Summer
Thirty-seven percent of Americans taking a vacation this summer
will take between one and seven days off. Another 35% will take up
to two weeks, and 26% have the good fortune to be able to take more
than two weeks off. The average family will spend $1,820 on
vacation this summer -- up from $1,368 in a 1991 Gallup poll -- and
64% will travel outside their home state. Only 12% will travel
outside the United States, however. When Americans were asked which
of the 50 states they would most like to visit on vacation, Hawaii
(17%) and California (12%) were the most popular choices, followed
by Alaska and Florida at 10%. All four states fell in popularity
from Gallup's 1991 poll, when 21% selected either Hawaii or
California, 13% chose Alaska, and 12% selected Florida.
The Big Choice: Rest or Play?
What do Americans want to do when they go on vacation? One of the
big choices in planning vacations is between going to one area and
sitting, or traveling around from place to place. Americans seem to
prefer the latter, more active option. Two out of three Americans
say their ideal vacation would be to keep moving, while 31% say
they'd prefer to spend it in just one place. Similarly, two-thirds
would prefer to be involved in activities and sightseeing in their
ideal vacation, while just one-third would prefer to rest and
relax.
Americans would also prefer to travel to a place they have never been before, as opposed to going back to a familiar place, and to spend time with just the immediate family or a close friend, rather than being with a large group of family or friends.
Not surprisingly in these fast-paced times, a perfect vacation for two-thirds or more of Americans would involve seeking out good food and restaurants, spending time with friends or family not normally seen, seeing museums, plays or other cultural activities, meeting new people, and shopping. Less than half of Americans, on the other hand, would define a perfect vacation as engaging in vigorous exercise or getting a suntan.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,031 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted July 16-18, 1999. For results based on this sample, one
can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error
attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus
3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion
polls.
Do you plan to take, or have you already taken, a vacation this summer?
| Yes | No | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99 Jul 16-18 | 53% | 46% | 1% |
| 91 Apr 25-28 | 59 | 36 | 5 |
| 55 Jun 3-8 | 44 | 49 | 7 |
| 54 Jul 2-7 | 37 | 51 | 12 |
Are you taking one single vacation this summer, or are you taking several different vacations at different times during the summer?
BASED ON THOSE VACATIONING THIS SUMMER; N = 572; MARGIN OF SAMPLING ERROR = ± 5 PCT. PTS.
| One single vacation | Different vacations | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99 Jul 16-18 | 49% | 50% | 1% |
| 91 Apr 25-28 | 46 | 53 | 1 |
During what month or months are you vacationing this summer? [ACCEPT MULTIPLE MENTIONS]
BASED ON THOSE VACATIONING THIS SUMMER; N = 572; MARGIN OF SAMPLING ERROR = ± 5 PCT. PTS.
| May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | No opinion | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taking Single Vacation | |||||||
| 99 Jul 16-18 | 8% | 21% | 26% | 38% | 9% | 6% | =108% |
| 91 Apr 25-28 | 6 | 21 | 39 | 29 | 9 | 5 | =109 |
| All Vacationers | |||||||
| 99 Jul 16-18 | 11 | 31 | 40 | 44 | 15 | 5 | =146 |
| 91 Apr 25-28 | 10 | 26 | 37 | 27 | 10 | 6 | =116 |
How much money do you think you and your family has spent or will spend on your summer vacation this summer?
BASED ON THOSE VACATIONING THIS SUMMER; N = 572; MARGIN OF SAMPLING ERROR = ± 5 PCT. PTS.
| Apr 25-28 1991 | Jul 16-18 1999 | |
|---|---|---|
| $300 or less | 10% | 10% |
| $301-500 | 16 | 14 |
| $501-1,000 | 27 | 26 |
| $1,001-1,500 | 8 | 6 |
| $1,501-$2,000 | 11 | 15 |
| $2,001-2,500 | 3 | 4 |
| $2,501-$3,000 | 4 | 7 |
| $3,001 or more | 7 | 16 |
| No opinion | 14 | 6 |
| 100% | 100% | |
| MEAN | $1,368 | $1,820 |
Next, we'd like you to think for a moment about what your perfect vacation away from home would be. First, ... . Next, ... .[RANDOM ORDER]
A. If you had to choose, would your perfect vacation be one in which -- [ROTATE: 1) You spend most of your time resting and relaxing or 2) You spend most of your time involved in activities or sightseeing]?
| Resting and relaxing | 32% |
| Activities or sightseeing | 67 |
| No opinion | 1 |
| 100% |
B. If you had to choose, would your perfect vacation be one in which -- [ROTATE: 1) You stay in one area the whole time or 2) You travel around and see a number of different places]?
| Stay in one area | 31% |
| Travel around | 68 |
| No opinion | 1 |
| 100% |
C. If you had to choose, would your perfect vacation be one in which -- [ ROTATE: 1) You travel to a place you have been to in previous years or 2) You travel to a place you have never been to before]?
| Return to place you've been before | 26% |
| Travel to new place | 73 |
| No opinion | 1 |
| 100% |
D. If you had to choose, would your perfect vacation be one in which -- [ROTATE 1) You go with just a close friend, spouse or immediate family or 2) You go with a large group of friends or family]?
| Close friend, spouse or immediate family | 83% |
| Large group of friends or family | 16 |
| No opinion | 1 |
| 100% |
E. If you had to choose, would your perfect vacation be taken in the winter, spring, summer or fall?
| Winter | 19% |
| Spring | 21 |
| Summer, or | 32 |
| Fall | 27 |
| No opinion | 1 |
| 100% |
Suppose you could go to any of the 50 states in the U.S. In which one would you especially like to take a vacation?
| Apr 25-28 1991 | Jul 16-18 1999 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hawaii | 21% | 17% |
| 2. California | 21 | 12 |
| 3. Alaska | 13 | 10 |
| 4. Florida | 12 | 10 |
| 5. Colorado | 8 | 7 |
| 6. Washington state | 6 | 4 |
| 7. Maine | 6 | 4 |
| 8. Arizona | 5 | 3 |
| 9. Montana | * | 3 |
| 10. New York | 4 | 2 |
| 11. Nevada | * | 2 |
| 12. Tennessee | * | 2 |
| 13. Vermont | * | 2 |
| 14. Oregon | 4 | 2 |
| Other | -- | 16 |
| None | -- | 1 |
| No opinion | -- | 3 |
| 100% | 100% |
If you were trying design to a perfect vacation on a trip away from home, would each of the following be something you would try to do, or not? First, ... . How about ... ?[RANDOM ORDER]
| Yes | No | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Read a book | 58% | 42% | *% |
| B. Get a suntan | 43 | 57 | * |
| C. Engage in vigorous exercise | 39 | 61 | * |
| D. Shop | 72 | 28 | * |
| E. See a museum, play or other cultural activity | 82 | 18 | * |
| F. Seek out good food and restaurants | 92 | 8 | * |
| G. Try to meet new people | 73 | 27 | * |
| H. Spend time with friends or family you normally don't see | 80 | 20 | * |
| I. Participate in a sport or hobby you regularly engage in | 63 | 37 | * |
| J. Participate in a sport or activity you don't normally have the chance to do | 59 | 40 | 1 |
* less than 0.5%
