Hubbub #EatYourPumpkin polling 2022
The following document outlines the results from polling commission by Hubbub, exploring behaviour and attitudes towards Halloween activities and eating pumpkins. The polling of 2,000 UK respondents aged 16+ was carried out by Censuswide in September 2022. This was done as part of #EatYourPumpkin, a campaign by Hubbub to encourage people to eat pumpkins at Halloween and beyond to save money and reduce food waste. A summary of the key findings from this years research and comparison to past years can be found below. You can find out more about the campaign here, or get in touch at hello@hubbub.org.uk
At a glance - comparisons with previous years:
Predicted for 2022 2021 2020 2019 (2020 survey) 2015 (2016 survey)**
Mean no of pumpkins each household bought for carving
2.22 (predicted) 2.29* 2.11 1.78 0.7856
Number of pumpkins carved in total 39.89 million1 (predicted)
Proportion that were not eaten 55.75% (based on what they did in 2021)
Number of pumpkins that are not eaten 22.23 million (predicted)
35.44 million2* 32.65 million3 24.74 million4 21 million5
55.75% 41% 54% 69%
14.5 million* 11.89 million 13.36 million 15 million
Proportion that were com posted n/a 35% 32% 32% 30%
Proportion that put their pumpkins in the food waste
n/a 33% 26% 28% 47%
Proportion that put their pumpkins in the regular bin n/a 13% 16% 16% 27%
Proportion that put pumpkins out for the birds n/a 28% 23% 25% (not an option in this survey but only 1% selected they did something else with them aside from bin and compost)
Proportion that think you can eat carving pumpkins 59% 53% 42% n/a n/a
Proportion that celebrate Halloween 64.65% 55.67% 50% n/a n/a
*These were the predicted figures that appeared in 2021 press release based on 2021 survey and not the actual results. The 2022 survey shows that in 2021 people actually bought on average 2.31 pumpkins per household. Calculations have not been updated but can be if requested.
**In 2016 the questions on pumpkin use were asked retrospectively, so asking about consumption in 2015 whereas the subsequent year’s research was carried out asking respondents about usage before the event.
1 27.8 million households 2022 x 64.65% who celebrate Halloween x 2.22 = 39.89 million
2 27.8 million households 2021 x 55.67% who celebrate Halloween x 2.29 = 35.44 million
3 27.8 million households 2020 x 55.67% who celebrate Halloween x 2.11 = 32.65 million
4 27.8 million households 2020 x 50% who celebrate Halloween x 1.78 = 24.74 million
5 27 million households 2016 x 0.78 = 21 million
6 General population (in this survey people were not asked if they celebrated Halloween)
Key observations:
• The number of pumpkins going to waste has significantly increased and is likely to be linked to a 10% increase in the number of people celebrating Halloween
• Only 8% freeze the flesh from their Halloween pumpkins to use another time
• Just over a quarter of people (26%) are now batch cooking to save on energy bills in response to the cost-of-living crisis
• The number of people who know that you can eat carving pumpkins has grown by 6% from 53% to 59% in the last year,
* Reverse of the stats for the number of pumpkins that were not eaten (41% and 49%)
Celebrating Halloween
• 65% of people celebrate Halloween (compared to 56% last year)
• 50% of people who celebrate Halloween say they do so as it is a good excuse to get the family and friends together, with 50% also stating that they do it for the kids. 39% say it’s a good excuse for a party.
• This is reflected in the age groups who do celebrate Halloween, with those aged 45+ being less likely to celebrate Halloween, as 65% of 45-54 year-olds and only 39% of 55s and over doing so, compared to an average of 86% of those aged 16-44.
Decorating pumpkins
• More than half (56%) of those who celebrate Halloween use the traditional method of pumpkin decorating – scooping out the pumpkin and carving shapes in the skin
• One in ten paint or stick things on to their pumpkin to avoid having to scoop it out
• Only 6% have a fake, reusable pumpkin that they can recycle each year.
• The above suggests that the event of pumpkin carving plays a big part in Halloween celebrations.
Impact of Cost of Living Crisis
• Of the 35% of people who don’t celebrate Halloween, more than one in ten (13%) say their reason is that they are trying to cut back on spending money on one-off occasions like Halloween since the cost-of-living crisis
• Almost two in five people (39%) are buying more reduced-priced food to save money in response to the increasing cost-of-living
• More than a third (34%) have started to try and make their food go further in response to how the rising cost of living has changed the way they shop for food and/or cook
• A third look for foods that they can make more than one meal out of in response to how the rising cost of living has changed the way they shop for food and/or cook
• More than a quarter (26%) have started batch cooking to save on energy bills in response to how the rising cost of living has changed the way they shop for food and/or cook
• Only 16% have started buying more seasonal produce in response to how the rising cost of living has changed the way they shop for food and/or cook
Pumpkin purchasing
The following stats refer to those who celebrate Halloween*
Plans to purchase in 2022
Only 13% will not buy (6%)/don’t know (6%) if they will buy at least one pumpkin for carving this year – down from 23% last year, meaning 87% will buy at least one pumpkin this year (compared to 77% last year)
• 23% will buy one
• 33% will buy two
• 16% will buy three
• 10% will buy four
• Mean planned 2.22
Behaviour reported this year about 2021 Halloween
*Of those who celebrate Halloween
• 92% bought at least one pumpkin for carving last year (8% selected 0 or don’t know)
• 20% bought one
• 35% bought two
• 20% bought three
• 12% bought four
• Mean bought 2.31
How they’re disposed of
*Of those who celebrated Halloween last year
• More than a third (35%) composted them
• 33% threw in food waste bin (an increase from 26% the previous year)
• 28% put out for the birds
• 13% threw in regular bin
Are they edible?
• 18% don’t think you can eat carving pumpkins bought from the supermarket (down from 23% in 2020)
• 22% don’t know
• 59% think you can eat them
Views on pumpkins as food
• 21% said no-one in their household likes it
• 20% don’t like the taste themselves (an increase from 17% in 2021)
• 18% don’t know how to cook with it
• 13% don’t think of it as food (so considering the reverse 87% do)
• 13% aren’t confident which parts can be eaten
• 11% always cook pumpkin at Halloween
• 9% can’t be bothered to cook with the pumpkins they carve
• 8% cook with the seeds from their carved pumpkins
• 7% only eat ‘cooking’ pumpkins, not carving pumpkins
Eating pumpkins outside of Halloween
• 31% who have tried pumpkin before say they buy them for eating outside of Halloween
• Of those who have ever tried pumpkin and buy pumpkins to eat outside of Halloween, 35% do so because it is a food they can get more than one meal out of, 32% think they are great value for money and 25% say it’s because they are usually discounted after Halloween
Freezing pumpkins
• Three in ten think that pumpkins can be chopped up and frozen but never do this
• 15% end up throwing away parts of the pumpkin that they think could be frozen
• Only 8% freeze the flesh from their Halloween pumpkins to use another time
Favourite flavour to go with pumpkins
• 21% have never tried it
• Cinnamon is still the most popular accompaniment – for 9% (followed by honey, chilli and maple syrup all at 5% each)
Dishes tried before from the given list (2022 polling)
Of those who have tried pumpkin before:
• 42% soup / 31% pie / 27% seeds / 22% roasted / 15% curry / 12% stew / 20% none of the noted dishes/foods