Groundhog Day Survey: Few Rely on Groundhog for Accurate Predictions

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Posted Feb 02, 2015

It’s Groundhog Day, the annual holiday where Americans wait for a groundhog to predict the weather. Though few actually believe that Punxsutawney Phil can give an accurate forecast, it’s a tradition that people around the country look forward to. So what do people think about the tradition of Groundhog Day? And what do they think Punxsutawney Phil will have to say?

groundhog day

Groundhog Day

In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 32% of respondents said they are likely to either read or watch news coverage of Punxsutawney Phil today. 50% said they are not likely to follow any Groundhog Day news coverage. And 18% were neutral about the holiday.

Punxsutawney Phil

Just 16% of respondents believe that Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction about the weather, based on whether he sees his shadow or not, will be accurate. 42% think it’s unlikely that the groundhog’s prediction will be accurate. And 42% were neutral or undecided.

Weather Predictions

If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, that’s said to mean there will be six more weeks of winter. And if he doesn’t, we’re supposedly in for an early spring. Overall, 36% of respondents think that there’s likely to be six more weeks of winter, whether he sees his shadow or not. Just 26% think we’ll have an early spring instead. And 39% had no opinion either way. You can view the complete survey results in the widget below and be sure to click “Open Full Report” to take advantage of all the chart and filter options.Photo Credit: Groundhog Day Decoration from FlickrWhat do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.

Results were collected on January 30 via AYTM’s online survey panel.

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