Summer is only Americans' third favorite season — 21% say it's their favorite, ranking it behind fall (39%) and spring (26%) — but many summer pastimes are enjoyed by majorities of Americans. Eating ice cream or popsicles and vacationing are two of Americans' most beloved summertime activities, a new YouGov poll shows. They are loved by the most Americans out of 30 classic summer activities, and are followed by grilling or barbecuing, road tripping, going to the beach, and going on a nature walk. Many also love swimming in a pool — more than say the same about swimming in an ocean or a lake.
Some of the summer activities that Americans are least fond of — that is, most likely to say they hate or dislike — involve sports: playing them outdoors or indoors, or attending sporting events. Sunbathing is also unpopular: Nearly half of people say they dislike or hate it.
Many summer activities are more likely to be enjoyed by younger adults — under age 45 — than by older adults. Some of these are water parks, outdoor and indoor sports, amusement parks, and city walks. None of the activities included in the survey were enjoyed by a significantly larger share of older adults than of younger ones. But popular activities tend to be popular no matter the age group: Americans 45 and older are more likely to enjoy city walks than fishing — an activity without an age effect but also without a particularly large fandom.
In the summertime, men are more likely than women to say they enjoy playing outdoor sports, as well as kayaking or canoeing, playing indoor sports, camping, fishing, attending sporting events, and bicycle riding. Women are more likely than men to say they like to go fruit picking, visit amusement parks, go to the beach, sunbathe, and roast marshmallows. But men are still far more likely to enjoy going to the beach than to play outdoor sports.
The poll also asked Americans about their favorite summer temperatures — and what they've experienced so far this year. 58% of Americans say this summer in their local area has been much or somewhat hotter than usual, and 74% say the past week has been much or somewhat too hot for them. 81% of Americans say temperatures have reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the past week where they live; only 16% say they prefer temperatures in this range during the summer.
To try to beat the heat, 90% of Americans have some form of air conditioning in their homes, though many who do — 59% — have at times turned it down or off in order to save money. Around one-quarter with AC have turned it off or down in order to avoid environmental harm (23%) and a similar proportion have dialed down the AC to avoid burdening the electric grid (26%).
— Carl Bialik contributed to this article
See the results for this YouGov poll
Methodology: This article includes results from an online survey conducted July 1 - 3, 2025 among 1,019 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
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