Labor Day Travel Survey 2021 — How Many People Will Travel, Mode of Transport, Activity Choices, Spending, COVID-19 Concerns

Update – See our 2022 Labor Day Travel Survey to compare figures from last year’s survey, which is still available below.

Fourth of July was a little more than a month ago. We saw a lot of traveling and activities taking place during this time. Now, COVID-19 cases are increasing again. More vaccine mandates, new mask requirements, and travel restrictions are around the corner. Labor Day weekend is a month away. This is another big weekend for travel and family gatherings.

Therefore, we conducted this Labor Day Travel survey to see what the sentiment was for traveling on Labor Day Weekend this year. Do people intend to travel? What activities are they planning on doing? How much will people spend for Labor Day traveling? How much of a concern are COVID-19 and the Delta variant for their Labor Day plans? Which COVID-19 risks concern them for traveling? Below you can find out the data to these questions and more.

Do you intend to travel for Labor Day this year? If so, how?

Photo: Eric Jones screenshot via SurveyMonkey

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Yes, primarily by plane. — 12.08%
• Yes, primarily by car. — 36.95%
• Yes, primarily by public transportation such as bus or train. — 4.03%
• No, I am not traveling for Labor Day. — 46.94%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — The younger age groups are more likely to be traveling by plane for Labor Day. 13.67% of American adults between the ages of 18-29 will travel by plane for Labor Day. And, 17.65% of those aged 30-44 will. On the other hand, only 9.05% in the 45-60 age bracket intend to do so. And, only 8.25% of American adults over 60 will.

Key Takeaway — Over 53% of all American adults intend to travel for Labor Day this year. This figure includes the 12.08% who intend to travel by plane. It also includes the 36.95% traveling by car and the 4.03% of people using public transportation. Based on the recent US census, this means nearly 137 million American adults will travel for Labor Day. This is more than the number of people that said they would travel in our Fourth of July survey. It is also over 10% more than the number of people that traveled for Easter and Memorial Day combined.

What activities will you take part in for Labor Day this year? (Check All that Apply Except If You Are Checking the Last Choice.)

Photo: Eric Jones screenshot via SurveyMonkey

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Parade. — 12.43%
• BBQ or Cookout. — 54.64%
• Fireworks. — 23.29%
• Beach. — 26.09%
• Lake. — 18.04%
• Sporting Event. — 6.65%
• Movie Theater. — 10.33%
• None of These. (If checking this choice, check nothing else.) — 23.47%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — Women were more likely to say they are going to attend a parade, BBQ, or fireworks this Labor Day. And, fireworks is the activity that has the biggest difference of women doing it than men. On the other hand, men are more likely to attend the beach, lake, sporting event, or movie theater. Men were much more likely than women to say they will attend a sporting event or movie theater. 8.68% of men said they will attend a sporting event for Labor Day. However, only 4.90% of women will. Additionally, 14.34% of men said they will go to a movie theater. And, only 6.86% of women will. This means more than double the amount of men intend to attend a movie theater for Labor Day.

Key Takeaway — More than 3 out of every 4 American adults will take part in a Labor Day activity this year such as a parade, BBQ, fireworks, beach, lake, sporting event, or movies. This equates to about 258 million American adults. The most popular activity will be a BBQ or cookout gathering. 54.64% of people or nearly 141 million people will do this. Additionally, more than a quarter of American adults will visit the beach. Nearly the same amount plan to attend or see fireworks for Labor Day.

How much will you spend to travel for Labor Day this year? (flights, hotels, tickets, etc.)

Photo: Eric Jones screenshot via SurveyMonkey

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• $0. — 39.40%
• $500 or Less. — 37.13%
• $501 to $1,000. — 12.08%
• $1,001 to $1,500. — 6.30%
• $1,501 to $2,000. — 3.85%
• $2,000 or More. — 1.23%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — People in the Middle Atlantic region were the most likely to say they will spend money for Labor Day. This region consists of the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. 72.37% of people in this region will spend money for Labor Day. On the other hand, people in the Mountain region are the least likely to spend money for Labor Day. Only 50% of people in this region will. The Mountain region consists of the states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and, Nevada.

Key Takeaway — Nearly 1 in every 4 American adults or over 60 million people will spend more than $500 for Labor Day travel. Additionally, more than 11% of American adults or over 29 million people will spend more than $1,000. More than 5% of American adults or about 13 million people will spend over $1,500. Many people intend to spend the end of the summer in style!

How much of a concern is COVID-19 and the Delta variant for you when considering your Labor Day plans this year?

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• No Concern at All. — 24.69%
• Slightly a Concern. — 47.29%
• A Big Concern. — 28.02%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — American adults over 60 were the most likely to say COVID-19 is “A Big Concern” for Labor Day plans. 38.14% of people over 60 said this. However, only 30.15% of American adults between 45-60 did. Additionally, only 23.53% of people between 30-44 did. And, only 22.30% of American adults between 18-29 said COVID-19 was “A Big Concern” for their Labor Day plans. Conversely, the over 60 age group is the least likely to say COVID-19 is “No Concern at All” for their Labor Day plans.

Key Takeaway — Three out of every four American adults indicated that COVID-19 was “Slightly a Concern” or “A Big Concern” for their Labor Day plans. This figure represents 194 million people. On the other hand, one in four American adults rate COVID-19 as “No Concern at All” for Labor Day. This figure represents nearly 64 million people.

If you were to travel for Labor Day (whether you will or not), which of these would be of concern for you? (Check All that Apply Except If You Are Checking the Last Choice.)

Photo: Eric Jones screenshot via SurveyMonkey

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Contracting COVID-19 from Others. — 46.06%
• Friends or Family Contracting COVID-19. — 46.76%
• Spreading COVID-19 Unknowingly. — 37.83%
• Mask Requirements. — 28.55%
• COVID-19 Test or Vaccine Requirements. — 20.32%
• Work Travel Restrictions. — 8.76%
• None of These. (If checking this choice, check nothing else.) — 16.99%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — Women were more likely than men to state mask requirements were a concern for Labor Day travel. 31.37% of women said this. However, only 25.28% of men did. Additionally, women were more likely to state that COVID-19 test and vaccine requirements were a concern. 23.86% of women said this while only 16.23% of men did.

Key Takeaway — Nearly half of all American adults state contracting COVID-19 and friends or family contracting COVID-19 are concerns for Labor Day travel. Nearly 29% of people said mask requirements were a concern. And, more than 20% said COVID-19 test or vaccine requirements were a concern. The interesting part of the mask, test and, vaccine concerns would be to see why it’s a concern for these people. For example, some people might feel being forced to wear a mask is a concern. However, others may feel concerned about visiting places without mask mandates. Perhaps those results will be found in another survey we conduct.

Survey Methodology

This Labor Day Travel Survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey on behalf of The Vacationer. In total, 571 Americans over the age of 18 were polled on August 1. Of those surveyed, 46.41% were male and 53.59% were female. The age breakdown of participants included in this survey was 24.34% in the range 18-29, 23.82% in the range 30-44, 34.85% in the range 45-60, and 16.99% over 60. This survey has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of ±4.185%. You can learn more about SurveyMonkey’s sampling method by clicking here.

The questions were chosen and the results were analyzed by the post author, Eric Jones, who is a Mathematics and Statistics Professor at Rowan College South Jersey.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.