Home is where the party is? Staying in may be the new going out

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

IS STAYING OUT THE NEW GOING IT?

NEW RESEARCH FROM AIR WICK SUGGESTS THAT NIGHTS IN ARE HAVING A MOMENT, AS AMERICANS SAY THEY ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO FAVOR HOSTING GUESTS AT HOME RATHER THAN GOING OUT.

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH, THE SURVEY OF 2,000 AMERICANS FOUND THAT 72 PERCENT PREFER STAYING IN WITH FRIENDS, WHENEVER POSSIBLE – WHILE JUST 28 PERCENT PREFER A NIGHT OUT. 

HALF OF THOSE SURVEYED (49%) SAID THIS SHIFT CAME IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.

THE TOP REASON PEOPLE ARE STAYING HOME THESE DAYS? IT’S JUST A MORE COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT (65%) THEY SAID.

53 PERCENT SAID HOSTING AT HOME IS A GREAT WAY TO SAVE MONEY, AND 47 PERCENT SAID IT’S EASIER TO HEAR EACH OTHER. 

AVOIDING CROWDS (47%), HAVING MORE CONTROL OVER AMBIANCE, FOOD, DRINKS AND ENTERTAINMENT (42%) AND NOT HAVING TO GET DRESSED UP (24%) ARE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO HOSTING AT HOME, ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY.

SEVEN ESSENTIALS FOR A GOOD NIGHT IN

• Good food and drinks (72%)
• Having the right people present (61%)
• Comfy seating (52%)
• A tidy and welcoming space (46%)
• Great music or entertainment (38%)
• Pleasant scent/fragrance (24%)
• Cozy lighting (22%)

BIGGEST STRESSORS WHEN HOSTING GUESTS AT HOME

• Cleaning (46%)
• Cooking (34%)
• Making guests comfortable (26%)
• Feeling pressure to make everything perfect (25%)
• Running out of food or drinks (23%)
• Making sure there's enough seating and space for everyone (20%)
• Budgeting for the event (19%)
• Guests overstaying their welcome (15%)
• Keeping kids or pets under control during the gathering (14%)
• Freshening up the house with the right scent (13%)
• Worrying about guests judging my home (13%)
• Managing different personalities and social dynamics (12%)
• Planning entertainment (12%)
• Worrying about potential messes or spills (11%)
• Planning the right vibe (lighting, music, decor, etc.) (11%)
• Handling last-minute cancellations or no-shows (7%)

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 1,000 gen pop and 1,000 people who host; the survey was commissioned by Air Wick and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between March 25 – March 31, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.