With 4th of July right around the corner, a new SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus poll asked adults nationwide about some of their traditions.
Going to picnics and eating hamburgers with ketchup are America’s most popular traditions. The poll finds:
- A majority of U.S. adults report that they usually celebrate 4th of July by going to a picnic, party, or BBQ (58%). Nearly half (46%) say they go to a fireworks display, and 31% say they set off fireworks.
- When asked about their preference among hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers, more than two-thirds (69%) of U.S. adults report that they prefer hamburgers, 17% prefer hot dogs, and 5% prefer veggie burgers; 9% prefer something else.
- Among those who prefer hamburgers, hot dogs, or veggie burgers, their favorite condiment for that choice is ketchup (41%), followed by mayonnaise (20%), and mustard (18%).
These findings are part of an SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus poll conducted June 20 – 22, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 1,004 adults aged 18 and older.
How U.S. Adults Usually Celebrate 4th of July
A majority of U.S. adults report that they usually celebrate 4th of July by going to a picnic, party, or BBQ (58%). Nearly half (46%) say they go to a fireworks display, and 31% say they set off fireworks.
While going to a picnic, party, or BBQ is the top activity of all major demographic groups, adults aged 18-29 (72%) and 30-49% (64%) are more likely than those aged 50 or over (47%) to report celebrating this way.

Adults aged 18-29 (50%) and 30-49% (37%) are more likely than those aged 50 or over (18%) to say they usually set off fireworks. In fact, the proportion reporting that they set off fireworks shows considerable variation among demographic groups.

Adults without a college degree are more likely than college graduates (38% to 20%) to report usually setting off fireworks to celebrate. Adults from the Midwest (39%) and South (37%) are more likely than those from the West (28%) and Northeast (15%), Republicans more likely than Democrats (35% to 25%), and Hispanic adults (40%) more than Black adults (31%) and White adults (30%).
The Public’s Preferences Among Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, and Veggie Burgers
When asked about their preference among hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers, more than two-thirds (69%) of U.S. adults report that they prefer hamburgers, 17% prefer hot dogs, and 5% prefer veggies burgers; 9% prefer something else.

Majorities of all major demographic groups prefer hamburgers among these three choices. However, there are some interesting variations within these overall results. Although hamburgers are the top preference for all age groups, 18-29-year-old adults (26%) are more than twice as likely as adults aged 50 or over (12%) to prefer hot dogs. Republicans are particularly likely to prefer hamburgers (79% vs. 58% of Democrats). Veggie burgers rate last of the three choices overall and among all major demographic groups, but they are more popular among Democrats (9%) than Republicans (3%).
The Public’s Favorite Condiment for Their Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, and Veggie Burgers
Among those who prefer hamburgers, hot dogs, or veggie burgers, their favorite condiment for that choice is ketchup (41%), followed by mayonnaise (20%), and mustard (18%).
Regardless of which of these three foods a person prefers, ketchup is the favorite condiment. But the second choice varies by the person’s preferred food. For those who prefer hamburgers, mayonnaise is the second choice (24%). For those who prefer hot dogs, mustard is the second choice (32%). For veggie burger fans, mustard and barbeque sauce (16% each) are tied for second favorite.

Looking at all adults who prefer hamburgers, hot dogs, or veggie burgers, ketchup is the favorite condiment among all major demographic groups. Women are more likely than men (24% to 15%) to choose mayonnaise as their favorite condiment, while those aged 50 or over are more likely than 18-29-year-olds (23% to 10%) to choose mustard.

Methodology
Interviews for this study were conducted on the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus on June 20 – 22, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 1,004 respondents aged 18 and older. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The design effect is 1.30.
The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a multi-client, probability-based survey that fields twice a month. It delivers a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18 or older in English (with Spanish language option). Data collection is conducted online and via phone (for non-internet and web-reluctant respondents) using the probability-based SSRS Opinion Panel.
All SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus data are weighted to represent the target population of U.S. adults ages 18 or older. View the questions used for this analysis, along with the responses (topline) >>
The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is conducted on the SSRS Opinion Panel. SSRS Opinion Panel members are recruited randomly based on a nationally representative ABS (Address Based Sample) design (including Hawaii and Alaska). ABS respondents are randomly sampled by Marketing Systems Group (MSG) through the U.S. Postal Service’s Computerized Delivery Sequence File (CDS), a regularly updated listing of all known addresses in the U.S. For the SSRS Opinion Panel, known business addresses are excluded from the sample frame.
The SSRS Opinion Panel is a multi-mode panel (web and phone). Most panelists take self-administered web surveys; however, the option to take surveys conducted by a live telephone interviewer is available to those who do not use the internet as well as those who use the internet but are reluctant to take surveys online. All sample drawn for this study were SSRS Opinion Panelists who are U.S. adults ages 18 or older. Sample was selected to ensure representation by age, gender, race and ethnicity, education, Census region, and party identification. Possible sources of non-sampling error include non-response bias, as well as question wording and ordering effects.
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