April Fools' Day: The top prankster US cities and states, according to survey
FILE - American comedians Bud Abbott (1897 - 1974) and Lou Costello (1906 - 1959) with others on April Fools Day, early 1950s. (Photo by Gene Lester/Getty Images)
April Fools’ Day 2024 is Monday, an annual tradition for practical jokes and hoaxes. But according to a recent survey, some areas of the country are filled with more pranksters than others.
A survey of 3,000 American adults, conducted by online review site Casino.org in March, asked a number of questions regarding sentiment surrounding April Fool’s Day and prank culture.
Overall, it found that only a narrow number (20%) of Americans plan to even participate in April Fools’ Day. About half (50.7%) deemed "jump scares" as the most harmless prank, followed by prank calls and plastic bugs, according to the survey.
Only 18% of women said they regularly participate in April Fool’s Day, compared to nearly a quarter of men who participate in some capacity. Age also plays a factor, according to the survey.
"The age groups 18-25 years old gave the holiday the highest rating of 5/10, as did the 60+ community," Casino.org wrote in its report of the findings. "It was the age brackets between 26-59 years old that hovered only slightly above 4.1/10, a 20% difference between the two scores."
Pranksters of America: The top states
Montana earned the highest participation rate in the country for April Fool’s Day pranks, according to the survey. Roughly 63% said they appreciated a jump scare joke, while another 50% find prank calls and plastic bugs fun for April Fool’s Day.
Only 13% of the Big Sky Country state found the holiday to be a negative, the survey found.
Rhode Island and Louisiana ranked second and third, respectively, when it comes to prank participation, according to the survey.
Meanwhile, an overwhelming 97% of those surveyed in West Virginia said they won’t be participating this year.
Top pranking US cities
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ranked as the highest participation in April Fool’s Pranks amongst all major U.S. cities, the survey found.
Three-quarters of residents surveyed there showed positive sentiments towards April Fools’ Day.
St. Louis, Detroit, and Los Angeles earned the respective third, fourth, and fifth places, according to the survey.
This story was reported from Cincinnati.