Empty nesters cooking up ways to get their kids home for the holidays

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

EMPTY NESTERS, HOW DO YOU ENTICE YOUR KIDS TO COME HOME TO VISIT?

FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON, AT LEAST, IT’S THEIR FAVORITE MEALS!

THAT’S ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH FROM THE HONEY BAKED HAM COMPANY WHICH FOUND THAT MORE THAN HALF (54%) PLAN ON HAVING THEIR CHILDREN COME HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS THIS YEAR, AND THEIR KIDS ARE TREKKING AN AVERAGE OF 596 MILES TO GET BACK HOME.

THE POLL OF 1,000 EMPTY NESTERS FOUND THAT MANY ADMITTED THEY STRUGGLE WITH THE HOME BEING TOO QUIET (36%) AND THAT THEY OFTEN GET NOSTALGIC FOR WHEN THEIR KIDS WERE YOUNGER (35%)

DESPITE THIS, THE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH FOUND THAT 7 IN 10 (69%) CLAIM IT'S ‘EASY’ TO CONVINCE THEIR KIDS TO COME HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS – ALL THEY NEED IS THEIR FAVORITE FOODS.

AND 87% OF EMPTY NESTERS ARE ALL TOO HAPPY TO OBLIGE, ALREADY PLANNING TO MAKE THEIR KIDS' FAVORITE MEALS WHILE THEY'RE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

SO HOW ABOUT YOU? WHAT HOLIDAY MEALS ARE YOUR KIDS’ FAVORITES? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 1,000 American parents who have adult children that no longer live at home; the survey was commissioned by HoneyBaked and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, 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.