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According to a new survey of 2,000 adults, most Americans will eat their stash of Halloween candy before Oct. 31 arrives. In fact, most of them will do it not once, but twice before the holiday happens.
That can become problematic when about a third of those who responded said they are early planners who are already stocked up and decorated for Halloween by Oct. 1. Almost the same amount, 26%, said they have had to restock their Halloween candy stash at least three times because they ate it all!
The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of CVS Pharmacy, also found that 55% of Americans end up running to the store to buy candy at the last minute. As far as personal preferences, 32% said they prefer sweet snacks, while 15% like salty snacks better.
One way to avoid eating up all of your Halloween candy stash is to give away non-food items. Four in ten people surveyed said they have done just that, giving out things like fidget toys (23%), friendship bracelets (21%), or small stuffed animals (21%).
Americans buy tons of Halloween candy each year
Another survey of 5,000 Americans conducted by Talker Research on behalf of HI-CHEW, discovered Americans buy 745.8 million pounds of Halloween candy every year. That means that, according to the survey, the average American purchases 4.5 bags of candy per season. When all is said and done, residents of Utah, Idaho, and Maine end up eating the most Halloween candy.
That same survey also discovered that the states of North Dakota, Idaho, and Delaware get the most excited about Halloween, New Yorkers carve the most pumpkins during the season, people from Arkansas watch the most scary movies, and folks from Wyoming visit the most haunted houses.
As for which candy brands are the most popular, an interactive map created by CandyStore.com has broken down the most popular Halloween candy in each of America’s 50 states. Perhaps not surprisingly, the list is filled with candy like M&M’s, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Starburst, Hershey Kisses, Twix, Butterfinger, Snickers, and Tootsie Pops. What is surprising, however, is that there is still at least one state where candy corn is the most popular. There needs to be some sort of investigation into that state.