With Easter Sunday around the corner, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its Easter Survey, which found that COVID-19which found that COVID-19 will impact 91 million Easter observers’ spending plans this year, 47% less than the number impacted last year.
To find out which cities promise the most egg-citing time on April 4, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 13 key metrics, ranging from candy and chocolate shops per capita to the city’s Christian population. You can find highlights from all three of WalletHub’s reports below.
How do Americans plan to celebrate Easter this year?
“The majority of Americans who celebrate Easter, at 55 percent, will simply stay at home during the holiday, without going out or meeting with other people,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Of the people who will leave home to celebrate Easter, the largest share will get together with friends and family, while much smaller shares will attend church in person or have a meal at a restaurant. Overall, it seems that Americans are still being cautious when it comes to celebrating the holiday during the pandemic.”
Will coronavirus put a big financial hardship on churches and other places of worship, especially around Easter?
“Churches may experience fewer donations than a typical Easter, as around 29 percent of people who celebrate Easter plan to donate less on the holiday this year than they did last year,” Gonzalez said. “Most people, at around 62 percent, will donate the same amount. The good news for churches is that 76 million Americans plan to donate part of their upcoming stimulus check to a religious organization.”
What traditional Easter purchases will suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
“The clothing industry will see the biggest hit around Easter, as nearly 46 percent of Easter-celebrating people who usually buy a new outfit say they will forgo one this year,” Gonzalez. “Close to 30 percent of Easter celebrants will also pass on buying Easter baskets, Easter candy, Easter food and family portraits. While people’s Easter spending plans are less impacted this year than last year, they are still far from normal.”
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the things for which people are grateful?
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, 39 percent of people say they are more grateful for their family, while 29 percent are more thankful for their health. Many people have gained a new appreciation for things they may have taken for granted before,” Gonzalez said. “Over 11 percent of people are more thankful for their freedom or their job, too.”
Source: WalletHub