3 Things To Know: How Americans Fund Their Travel, Who Values Pants with Pockets, and Pickleball’s Popularity Grows

This article is just a small glimpse of the insights available to CivicScience clients. Want to see the full picture? Discover more data.

1. Savings are the leading source of travel funding as consumers eye clothing, footwear, and jewelry to prepare for their trips.

Among U.S. adults going on vacation this summer, 6 in 10 plan to finance their trip with personal savings, while 30% plan to use credit cards or other line of credit. As many as 12% say they will opt to utilize buy now, pay later services.

But travel spending extends beyond costs associated with getting to the destination. More than half of those traveling over the summer plan to buy clothing, footwear, or jewelry for their upcoming vacations. Personal care or beauty products also stand out as a popular purchase in anticipation of summer travel plans, far outpacing electronic devices. 

Take Our Poll: How much do you typically spend each year on travel-related expenses?

2. Consumer opinions are mixed on the importance of pockets when clothes shopping.

Apparel designers have been adding more pockets to women’s clothing in recent years. Some retailers, including Saks and Banana Republic, allow online shoppers to filter out clothing that doesn’t have pockets when searching their websites. 

According to new CivicScience data, consumers are divided on the importance of pockets when shopping for new pants: 35% find them ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ important, another 34% view them as ‘somewhat important,’ while the remaining 32% say they are unimportant. Younger adults and men tend to place more importance on pockets than older adults and women.

3. As outdoor temperatures rise, so does the percent of Americans playing Pickleball.

“Fringe” sports come in many variations. Another such sport, pickleball, continues to make its mark as pickleball courts pop up all across the country, with the sport attracting both sports and non-sports fans alike. The percentage of U.S. adults playing pickleball recently has increased over the past quarter. Younger adults, particularly Gen Z, are most likely to play.

Let Us Know: Are you interested in playing pickleball?

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