Along with eating copious amounts of food, Thanksgiving is all about expressing gratitude. And college students are most thankful for family, friends, and good health this year.
A new survey of 1,500 undergraduates finds that more than half (56%) plan to go home for Thanksgiving, while 21% already live at home and 19% will not go home. Among students who are not going home, just 16% say it’s because they do not want to. Almost half (45%) say travel is too expensive and around one-quarter say they do not get enough time off from school (28%) or they cannot take time off from their jobs (22%).
When it comes to holiday traditions, only one-quarter (25%) of students plan to keep up their family’s Thanksgiving customs as they get older. Another one-quarter (25%) of students want to form their own traditions and half (50%) prefer a combination of old and new.
However, straight students are more likely than LGBTQ students to plan on keeping up their family’s traditions (28% vs. 16%) and less likely to plan on forming their own (23% vs. 32%). College Republicans are also more likely than college Democrats to plan on sticking to their family’s traditions (39% vs. 24%) and less likely to plan on combining old traditions with new ones of their own (42% vs. 53%).
Republican Students are More Likely to Favor Family Traditions
Do you plan to keep up your family’s Thanksgiving traditions as you get older, or form your own traditions?
Almost 3 in 10 (27%) students say their family avoids discussing politics during Thanksgiving, and 1 in 5 (20%) avoid talking about sex and sexuality. But LGBTQ students are more likely than straight students to say their family avoids politics at the dinner table (32% vs. 25%).
The world can feel pretty chaotic, but Thanksgiving is an opportunity to reflect on the good things in life. Almost 1 in 5 (17%) students say they are most thankful for family this year, compared to 9% who say friends and 7% who say their health. Here’s what 25 college students say they’re most grateful for, in their own words.
“Being old enough to vote the boomers out” — an Arizona State student
“My mental health not being nearly as bad as it was a year ago and that I’m finally graduating in a month” — a Bowling Green State University student
“Friends and family” — a Dartmouth student
“My pets, my mental health, Carrie Underwood” — a University of Arkansas student
“Personal growth” — a University at Buffalo student
“Being alive” — a Wayne State University student
“Food and time off” — a California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo student
“Jesus” — an Indiana University student
“Dogs, always” — a University of South Carolina student
“All the expansions to the Sims 4” — a Binghamton University student
“Actually graduating in a month” — a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay student
“New opportunities” — a Villanova student
“Getting married” — a University of North Texas student
“Getting into medical school!” — an Arizona State student
“Life, my brain, a loving family, two jobs” — a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville student
“My college friends” — a University of California, Santa Cruz student
“Good financial standing, good health” — a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student
“A bunch of my emotional walls have started to collapse” — a University of Alabama in Huntsville student
“Not paying any bills because I live at home” — an Austin Community College District student
“My education” — a California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo student
“My parents” — a Kalamazoo College student
“The fact I’ve survived” — a Western Carolina University student
“New friends” — a Truman State University student
“My new sisters” — a University of Michigan student
“My career” — a Pearl River Community College student
And, of course, there’s always pie.
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted among a sample of 1,500 full-time and part-time students attending four-year colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
