Voting for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election is a scary prospect for lots of Americans. Instead, millions might choose to instead focus on ghouls, goblins and ghosts and tune out politics completely.
According to a recent study from the National Retail Federation (NRF), 171 million adult Americans, or 69.1 percent of the population, plan to celebrate Halloween this year.
By comparison, the last time even just 60 percent of the voting-age population cast ballots in a presidential election was 1968, and the record for voter turnout is 131,313,820, in 2008. Earlier this month, it was reported that a record 200 million voters were registered, but even if 85 percent of those registered actually voted, which would be a record, that would still fall just short of 171 million.
But this is hardly a new trend. In 2012, NRF reported that 170 million people planned to celebrate Halloween, while not even 130 million people voted. And in 2008, 64.5 percent of Americans said they would be partying in some way on Oct. 31, but just 58 percent of eligible adults turned out to the polling stations.
Yet, the presence of an election does impact the holiday, as Quartz points out. Americans are set to spend a record $8.4 billion on Halloween this year. That breaks the record from 2012. And as the chart below shows, 2008 also marked a record year in spending.
On the whole, spending has increased since the Great Recession in 2008. Especially in the past few years, the rise of the pumpkin-themed market has boosted the Halloween economy. Sales of more than $500 million expected in 2016, according to Quartz.
The election will also show up in plenty of Halloween costumes. According to the NRF, among those 35 years or older, dressing up as a politician is the third most popular costume choice of the year.
As for the candidates themselves, it’s unclear whether either will be dressing up for the holiday next Monday. Hillary Clinton does not have any event scheduled, and Donald Trump’s schedule has not been announced.