Most parents think children who go trick-or-treating this year will be safe from coronavirus, according to a recent CBS News poll. More than six in 10 parents of school-aged children feel that way, while just over a third think children who go trick-or-treating will be at risk for the virus.  

Views on this are related to how one perceives the risk of contracting the coronavirus more broadly. 

Parents who express the most concern about someone in their family getting the virus are the least likely to feel kids will be safe from COVID-19 while trick-or-treating.  

About a quarter of parents with school-aged children are very concerned about the coronavirus, and most of these parents — 59% —  think children who go out trick-or-treating this year are at risk for the virus.  

But most parents — even those who are somewhat concerned about getting the virus — think kids will be safe trick-or-treating this year. 

Majorities of parents across all regions of the country think children will be safe from the coronavirus while trick-or-treating. As we’ve seen with views of the coronavirus among the public overall, there are some partisan differences at play here. Parents who are Democrats are more likely (41%) than Republicans (24%) to believe kids could be at risk for COVID-19, although most parents across the political spectrum think kids will be safe.    

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,054 U.S. adult residents interviewed between October 6-8, 2021. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey, and the U.S. Census Current Population Survey, as well as 2020 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.6 points. The margin of error the sample of parents of school-aged children is ±5.7 points.   

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