Turkey Day Exposé: How Americans Really Feel About the Big Dinner

According to a new Instacart survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults conducted online by The Harris Poll, a majority of Americans (87%) will attend Thanksgiving dinner this year.

It’s a day to count our blessings and indulge in one of the biggest feasts of the year. But, let’s talk turkey. Along with Thanksgiving comes a cornucopia of conflicted feelings — from hosting hassles, to menu debates, to intergenerational differences. We wanted to know… do Americans actually enjoy the classic meal or do we just fill our plates to honor tradition?

We dug into Instacart grocery purchase trends and consumer survey data to uncover Americans’ true feelings about what they serve and eat on Turkey Day. Introducing Instacart’s Turkey Day Exposé — a look into how Americans host, cook and consume their Thanksgiving dinners.

To Host or Not To Host?

While some jump at the chance to host (and control the menu), others would go to great lengths to avoid it altogether.

• It seemed like a good idea at first… 80% of adults in the U.S. have hosted a Thanksgiving dinner, and among those who have, 21% admit that they have pretended to enjoy it. Additionally, 17% of those who have hosted say they have regretted offering to host.
• What did you forget this time? Of those who have hosted, 74% needed to go to the grocery store two or more times to get all of the necessary ingredients.
• I like what I like… 59% of Americans say they would prefer to host Thanksgiving dinner so they can make the dishes they like.

Certain people would be willing to make some big sacrifices to avoid hosting. We asked, would you rather…

• Give up sex or host? 40% of Millennials (ages 23–38) would rather give up sex for a month than be responsible for cooking Thanksgiving dinner.
• Give up football or host? 42% of men would rather give up watching football for a month than be responsible for cooking Thanksgiving dinner.
• Give up your phone or host? 29% of Americans (and 39% of Millennials) would rather give up their phone for a month than be responsible for cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

Tradition vs. Taste: The Thanksgiving Menu Conundrum

Forget religion and politics, the most charged topic is what’s on the table.

Wait, do we love it or hate it?

68% of Americans secretly dislike a classic Thanksgiving food but eat it anyway because of tradition.

The top offenders are:

• Canned cranberry sauce (29%)
• Green bean casserole (24%)
• Sweet potatoes / sweet potato casserole (22%)
• Pumpkin pie (21%)
• Turkey (19%)

Canned cranberry sauce: Thanksgiving delicacy or disgusting?

• Nearly half of Americans (46%) say canned cranberry sauce is “disgusting.”
• While people might hate it, Instacart customers bought 50% more canned cranberry sauce than fresh cranberries last Thanksgiving.
• 31% of Americans serve their canned cranberry sauce in the shape of the tin can (as opposed to mashing it up) on Thanksgiving. Which begs the question, are people low-key trolling canned cranberry sauce?

Of those who have hosted, 30% have served something other than turkey as the main dish.

• Many Millennials are introducing alternatives when hosting Thanksgiving. 42% of Millennials who have hosted have served something other than turkey.
• Instacart’s sales show that after turkey, pork is the second most ordered protein ahead of Thanksgiving… slow-roasted pork shoulder, anyone?

Go GBC: Green bean casserole retains an undeniably strong place at the table.

• Cream of mushroom soup purchases were up 59% and fried onions up 85% in the three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving last year, according to Instacart purchase data.
• But a fresher take on the recipe may be afoot — fresh green bean purchases outweighed canned green beans by 30%.

A ‘Whiz’ in the kitchen.

• Are “cheese-like” substances part of your Turkey Day menu? While it may not be the first Thanksgiving food that comes to mind, Instacart’s yearly sales data revealed that people buy more Cheez Whiz in the three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving than any other time of year.
• Last year, we tracked a 158% increase in Cheez Whiz sales in the three weeks before Thanksgiving. Compare that to a 126% increase before Christmas, our runner up period for Cheez Whiz sales.
• Don’t believe us? We plotted it, check out these enormous spikes:

Picky toddler in the house? Talk to a Millennial dad!

• 52% of Millennial parents admit they have made their child something different from what everyone else was being served for Thanksgiving dinner, which is more than double the amount of Boomer parents who say they have made something else for their child.
• Dads (42%) are more likely than moms (29%) to admit they have made their child something different from what everyone else was being served for Thanksgiving dinner.

The great leftover debate

• Secretly hate turkey cranberry sandwiches? You’re not alone. 23% of Americans are not interested in saving Thanksgiving leftovers.
• Millennials are anti-leftovers! 32% of Millennials say they are not interested in saving Thanksgiving leftovers, compared to 18% of Boomers.

Cheat day or nay?

• As a nation, we’re conflicted about indulging. 59% of Americans agree that Thanksgiving is an excuse to eat things they would otherwise ban from their diet. However, 44% say they do everything in their power to try to find healthy options to eat at Thanksgiving dinner.
• Despite cauliflower being a popular alternative to potatoes and rice, virtue gives way to vice at Thanksgiving, when purchases of packaged mashed cauliflower and cauliflower rice take a 21% dip in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, according to Instacart purchase data. Purchases of these cauliflower products pop back up by 33%, as folks are inspired to get back on track after eating all. the. carbs.

I only have pies for you

94% of Americans eat pie on Thanksgiving, and — while our survey results show that 21% of people secretly hate it but eat it anyway — pumpkin pie (31%) also tops the list of favorite pies to eat on Thanksgiving, followed by apple pie (18%) and pecan pie (18%).

The ranking is also confirmed via Instacart purchase data the week leading up to Thanksgiving. Of those who purchased pies the week ahead of Turkey Day:

• 46% were pumpkin pies
• 28% were apple pies
• 10% were pecan pie

Store-bought or not? 14% of Americans admit to serving a store-bought pie and passing it off as homemade on Thanksgiving.

Don’t forget about Fido!

Only 10% of Americans serve their pet turkey flavored pet food on Thanksgiving. In fact, Instacart purchase data show that Americans are purchasing 12% less turkey-flavored pet food the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

Cheers to Thanksgiving

Raise a glass to the most popular celebratory sips.

Among the 65% of Americans, ages 21+, who drink alcohol on Thanksgiving, 75% drink wine.

Unsure which type of wine to bring to your host’s house? Red is best. Of those who reported drinking on the holiday:

• 47% drink red wine
• 39% drink white wine
• 20% drink sparkling wine
• 17% drink rose
• 7% drink orange wine

The generation most likely to booze it up on Thanksgiving? You guessed it, Millennials. 19% of Millennials even admit that they have been too hungover on Thanksgiving to eat and/or drink.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Survey Method:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Instacart from October 17–21, 2019 among 2,023 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,600 have ever hosted Thanksgiving dinner. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Instacart.

Instacart

Author

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.