Labor Day Celebration Plans Down From June Amid Covid

Enthusiasm for Labor Day gatherings has waned and the delta variant is to blame. A survey by market researcher Numerator -- taken in June and again in August -- shows a 13 percentage-point decline to 51% in the share of U.S. respondents expecting to celebrate with family and friends this holiday weekend. The South saw the biggest drop, with 48% planning get-togethers, down from 66% in June. While the data may mean that fewer grills are fired up, having fun isn’t totally out: Traveling saw only a modest decline -- to 9% from 12% -- in the share of consumers with plans.