America’s 21 Most Beloved and Detested Holidays
Quick: What’s your favorite holiday? And while you’re at it, what holiday is your least favorite?
Currently, there are 11 federal holidays in the U.S., with Juneteenth being the most recent addition in 2021. January and November have the greatest number of holidays, with two holidays each. People who live in Washington, D.C. and work for an employer who honors federal holidays are extra lucky, as they receive an additional holiday once every four years: Inauguration Day.
Naturally, Americans have their favorite and not-so-favorite holidays. YouGov gathered data to determine which ones they love the most and least.
Gathering the Data
YouGov polled 1,000 Americans ages 18 years and older in February 2024, surveying their most and least favorite holidays. They chose a random sample that was stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration.
When looking at the following numbers, YouGov estimates its margin of error for the overall sample is 4%. These are the holidays Americans love the most and least, starting with the most beloved.
Deck the Halls
Christmas is by far the holiday Americans love the most. Only 5% reported it as their least favorite holiday of the year. In contrast, 34% of participants indicated they enjoy Christmas more than an average day. Only Thanksgiving (47%) and the Fourth of July (42%) ranked higher in this average day category.
According to Statista, approximately 88% of Americans celebrate Christmas. The Fourth of July and Easter follow closely behind, at 87% and 81%, respectively.
Gender Differences
YouGov further broke down their data based on women’s and men’s responses. On average, women enjoy any given holiday less than men, although Mother’s Day and Easter are relatively more popular amongst women.
When analyzing men’s responses, they reported notably higher enjoyment for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day than women.
No Holidays For All
Private-sector employers typically don’t legally have to give their employees the day off on federal holidays. That said, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have laws in place requiring private-sector employers to give their employees holiday pay.
Rhode Islanders have the best deal of the two states, for they receive 1.5 times their regular pay rate on certain holidays. In contrast, Massachusetts requires employers to pay 1.1 times an employee’s regular pay.
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