Butterball Shares 2022 Thanksgiving Outlook Report: Enthusiasm High, Might be Hindered by Cost

Butterball, which has offered support to home chefs through its Butterball Turkey Talk-Line™ for more than 40 years, recently released data from its 2022 Thanksgiving Outlook Report which found people are excited for Thanksgiving with nearly 90 percent of Americans planning to celebrate in 2022 as concerns around Covid-19 shrink. However, concerns around inflation – particularly at the grocery store – are driving the need to get creative with cutting costs all without sacrificing holiday celebrations. 

When compared to respondent recollection of 2021, the report reveals a 4 percent increase in those hosting for the first time and a 4 percent decrease in those not planning to celebrate; the size of gatherings will remain the same as last year. While hosts are planning to manage cost savings on sides and desserts, turkey will still be at the center of their table and guest lists won’t be scaled back. 

Key takeaways and trends from the report are revealed below.

Enthusiasm for Thanksgiving: Despite inflation concerns, celebrations to continue 

Though most Thanksgiving celebrators say inflation will have an impact on the holiday, they are not anticipating these worries will keep them from celebrating. Here is where hosts will not compromise to save money this Thanksgiving:

• The Celebration: Nearly 90 percent of people plan to celebrate this year – an increase from 2021.
• The Turkey: Among those celebrating, 85 percent of hosts are going to have turkey at the center of the table and 90 percent plan to buy the same size turkey or larger than last year.
• The Guest List: Only 8 percent of hosts concerned with inflation say they plan to shrink their guest list to control costs.

Managing Costs: Turkey to be at the center of tables but hosts look to cut costs in other ways

While hosts may not be willing to compromise their gathering size or turkey, they do have concerns about inflation. Notably, 44 percent of Thanksgiving hosts are concerned about rising prices, specifically at the grocery store (87 percent) and gas pump (75 percent). The findings reveal multiple ways hosts may mitigate the costs of this year’s Thanksgiving meal:

• 55 percent of hosts concerned about inflation said they would shop for deals for parts of the entire meal. This marks a departure from early in the pandemic when hosts were concerned about minimizing the time in store and number of stores shopped.
• To manage costs, hosts might economize with the sides they prepare (32 percent), cook more from scratch (24 percent), look for ways to make the meal less formal (20 percent) or ask guests to bring a side (15 percent).

“While people are eager to gather with friends and loved ones this Thanksgiving, we are seeing external factors like inflation that will influence the way people celebrate,” said Rebecca Welch, director of retail brand marketing at Butterball. “But we also see celebrators planning to get creative with ways to cut costs that won’t compromise a memorable Thanksgiving. We know people want to celebrate with a turkey at the center of the table and as always, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is here to share its 41 years of Thanksgiving expertise.” 

The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line officially opens for the season Tuesday, November 1 and experts can be reached a variety of ways including phone, text, online chat or Alexa and will be ready to support consumers through all their Thanksgiving needs. To learn more, visit Butterball.com.

About the Study

Butterball commissioned an omnibus online survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,005 US adults. The survey was fielded by Ipsos between July 6-7, 2022.