Here’s Another Treat for Little Tricksters

Good news for trick-or-treaters: According to a survey for American Demographics magazine, 70% of Americans will be expecting your arrival today. Most of them will be stocked with prepackaged candy, hopefully not the cheap stuff.

And if they’re not handing out candy, there’s a good chance they’ll be dealing in cold, hard cash, mostly nickels and dimes. We suggest you consult with an adult before swallowing anything if you don’t know the difference between a Baby Ruth and a nickel.

About 21% of the adults answering doors will be looking fairly ridiculous, dressed in some degree of costume. The rest say costumes are for kids. All in all, it doesn’t really matter, does it? The candy will taste the same.

If you want to do some planning to increase revenue, consider this: The survey says that men are slightly more likely than women to offer treats. One-third of those 65 or older in the survey suggest you shouldn’t even bother coming to their doors. Be nice to them anyway.

Your candy-harvesting chances improve if there are a lot of other kids in the neighborhood. Almost half of those who won’t be answering their doors on Halloween night say there just aren’t enough children around to bother, which sounds like a pretty flimsy excuse.

Not quite 20% of those not participating in Halloween cite “religious grounds,” according to the magazine. And of those lodging religious objections, nearly a third are between the ages of 18 and 24.

Another 10.7% of those who won’t be answering their doors say they won’t be home. Yeah, right. And the fourth most common reason, 7.6%, is “no interest.” The survey did not tease out any particulars, but in all likelihood, these are probably the same party poopers who crash by 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

And, finally, if your parents wear masks to work, let’s just say this: Don’t be overly alarmed. Unless, that is, they do it more than once a year.