From shamrocks to celebrations, how many Americans are actually getting into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit this year?

Answer: 61%

Spending a total of $7 billion dollars!

Questions:

• Do you think St. Patrick’s Day is more about cultural appreciation or commercial opportunity?
• How do you think the percentage of people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day compares to other culturally based holidays like Cinco de Mayo or Lunar New Year?
• How might different generations (Baby Boomers, Millennials, Gen Z) celebrate St. Patrick’s Day differently?

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (NRF):

"NRF has been conducting its annual St. Patrick’s Day survey for more than a decade to see how consumers plan to spend for and celebrate during the popular cultural holiday. Sixty-one percent of consumers plan to celebrate and they expect to spend an average of $43.64."

About the Author

Dave Martin

Dave joins NGPF with 15 years of teaching experience in math and computer science. After joining the New York City Teaching Fellows program and earning a Master's degree in Education from Pace University, his teaching career has taken him to New York, New Jersey and a summer in the north of Ghana. Dave firmly believes that financial literacy is vital to creating well-rounded students that are prepared for a complex and highly competitive world. During what free time two young daughters will allow, Dave enjoys video games, Dungeons & Dragons, cooking, gardening, and taking naps.

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