Half of Canadian households planning to participate in Halloween: poll

Half of Canadian households plan to participate in Halloween this year, according to a new poll.

The Maru Public Opinion survey said people will be either going out trick-or-treating or staying behind to hand out candy to children.

Of those polled, those from Atlantic Canada were most likely to celebrate the holiday at 71 per cent, while those from Quebec were least likely, with just 38 per cent participating.

Younger Canadians, those aged 18 to 34, were mostly likely to provide a “spirited presence” for the door-to-door tradition.

Here in Toronto, trick-or-treaters will have to deal with a bit of a chilly evening. CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor says the Halloween evening forecast will see temperatures hovering around 2 C with the wind making it feel more like -5.

“Dress warm,” Taylor said. “It’s just a very light wind, but enough to give us that raw kind of feeling as you’re heading out with the kids. You will definitely need the extra layers under, or over top of your costume.”

This survey was conducted between Sept. 18 to 19, 2023, among a random selection of 1,543 Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada panelists. The probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.