Poll asks, Summertime is here — or is it?

in Apolitical/Top Headlines by

Summer doesn’t technically begin for another month, but most Americans still view Memorial Day weekend as the kickoff of their favorite season.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62 percent of likely U.S voters consider Memorial Day the unofficial start of summer, as Americans have in annual surveys for years. Just (31 percent) disagree, while seven percent (7 percent) can’t make up their  minds.

Call it anticipation or wishful thinking perhaps. But most share this view across virtually every demographic category.

Americans also have long told us that summer is their favorite season of the year.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the last Monday of May each year to honor those who have given their lives for the country in military service.

Maybe it’s the general summery-ness of typical Memorial Day activities that make Americans consider it something more. Last year, half of Americans had a Memorial Day cookout, and 24 percent attended a parade.

One thing’s for sure: Americans were definitely glad to get last winter over with.

Conversely, 56 percent of Americans celebrate Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer.

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.