FDU PublicMind - August 31, 2006 Release

Almost three quarters of New Jerseyans report they plan to stay home on the Labor Day weekend. According to results from the most recent PublicMind poll, fewer than one in five (18%) said they'll be going away overnight during the holiday, and the rest (10%) were undecided. Men were more likely than women to report they would be going away on the weekend, and those 18-34 were more likely than older groups to use the weekend for an overnight.

Most of the population (80%) report they won't be working on the Labor Day weekend. But one in four aged 18-34 (24%) say they do plan to work. And in south Jersey, about one in four residents (27%), more than any other region of the state, said they'd be reporting for work this weekend.

One quarter of New Jerseyans (24%) said they plan to host a party or cookout on the weekend, and another 12% said they hadn't decided. Again, the young were more likely to be playing host than the old, with more than a third of those 18-34 saying they'll be having the party.

About half (49%) say they won't be attending anyone's party or cookout, a third say they will go to another party or cookout and 16% weren't sure. Women were more likely than men (39-30%) to say they'd be going out to a party or cookout, and people 18-34 were more likely to say they were going out to attend a party or cookout than the older folks.

“It's not surprising that New Jerseyans are staying home on this holiday weekend” said Dr. Richard Wisch, Director of Fairleigh Dickinson's International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “There is an increasing trend to ‘cocoon' — people prefer to spend more time at home, especially if their home offers a media room, or entertainment facilities, or a gathering place for family and friends.” Wisch also added that “people are becoming more psychocentric. They want to surround themselves with the familiar. Terrorism, the high price of gasoline and the difficulties of air travel play a role in both of these trends.“

The PublicMind poll of 651 registered voters was conducted from August 21 through August 27 and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.

Crosstabs: all groups = 100%		Planning to attend someone else's party or cookout?
Crosstabs: all groups = 100%		Yes	No	Don't know
Hosting a party or cookout?	Yes	9%	14%	1%
	No	25%	33%	6%
	Don't know	1%	2%	9%