An original 2026 survey of 1,096 U.S. adults by Drive Research found that dads are looking for a Father’s Day that feels personal, low-pressure, and centered on time with family.
While many fathers still want traditional celebrations, such as going out to eat, receiving gifts, or having a meal at home, the data also shows a more practical side of Father’s Day. Dads want thoughtfulness, useful gifts, fewer responsibilities, and, in some cases, a little space to enjoy the day on their own.
Ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday, June 21, 2026, this article explores what fathers really want, how that compares with what they received last year, where gift givers may miss the mark, and what the data reveals about the emotional and physical load tied to the holiday.
For Father’s Day 2026, dads are most likely to say they want to:
Last year’s celebrations were similar in some ways, but not identical. Fathers most commonly went out to eat (52%), received gifts (51%), had a meal at home (50%), took care of children or grandchildren (33%), and did chores or housework (31%).
The data suggests dads are not necessarily asking for an elaborate Father’s Day. Many want a familiar celebration, but with a little more intention built in. Experiences, wellness activities, sleeping in, and fewer chores all point to the same idea: dads want the day to feel different from a typical Sunday.
Some clear examples of this are:
Single, separated, divorced, and widowed fathers were more likely than married fathers to spend time on their own last Father’s Day (26% vs. 14%) and to say they did nothing for Father’s Day (6% vs. 2%). Married fathers, on the other hand, were more likely to have a meal at home (55% vs. 38%) or do an experience (21% vs. 10%)
Most fathers want the day centered on close family. Among dads, 88% say they want to spend Father’s Day with their children, and 69% want to spend it with a spouse or partner.
Other groups are part of the day too, but at lower levels. About 22% want to spend Father’s Day with friends, 17% want to spend it with their own father or father figure, 16% want to spend it with grandchildren, and 15% want to spend it with siblings.
Only 3% say they want to spend Father’s Day alone.
This is one area where Mother’s Day and Father’s Day look very similar.
In our Mother’s Day survey, 89% of moms wanted to spend the day with their children, nearly identical to the 88% of dads who say the same about Father’s Day.
The most wanted Father’s Day gifts this year are gift cards (42%), handwritten cards (37%), cash or money (30%), food or beverages (29%), experience gifts (29%), and gifts related to hobbies or interests (28%).
Compared with what dads received last year, some gaps stand out.
Last year, fathers were most likely to receive handwritten cards (36%), food or beverages (31%), clothing or accessories (29%), and gift cards (27%). This year, gift cards move to the top of the wish list, and cash or money ranks higher among desired gifts than it did among gifts received last year.
In other words, dads still appreciate sentimental gifts, but they also appear to value flexibility. A handwritten card is still one of the strongest gift choices, but practical gifts like gift cards, cash, food, and hobby-related items all perform well.
When receiving a Father’s Day gift, dads are most likely to say the present should feel personal or thoughtful (70%). Sentimental value also matters to many fathers (45%), followed by it being a surprise (41%), reflecting their interests (39%), and being useful or practical (39%).
By comparison, only 20% say high quality is important.
That finding makes Father’s Day gift giving less about price and more about fit. The data suggests dads are not simply looking for the most expensive item. They want evidence that the giver thought about who they are, what they enjoy, and what would actually make their day better.
This also mirrors a key theme from our Mother’s Day research.
Moms were even more likely than dads to say thoughtfulness mattered most, but in both studies, emotional meaning outranked product quality. For Mother’s Day, 81% of moms said a gift that feels personal or thoughtful is important. For Father’s Day, 70% of dads say the same.
Among non-fathers who expect to celebrate Father’s Day this year, the most commonly planned gifts are food or beverages (43%), handwritten cards (40%), gift cards (28%), clothing or accessories (27%), and something homemade (19%).
That sounds thoughtful on the surface, but it also suggests many gift givers are leaning into safe, familiar options rather than the gifts dads are most likely to say they want.
Experience gifts are another missed opportunity. Nearly 3 in 10 dads want an experience gift such as concert tickets, golfing, or a day out, but only 17% of gift givers plan to buy one.
Those are all safe choices, and several line up with what fathers say they want. But the biggest opportunity may be in gifts that feel more personal, flexible, or experience-driven.
The biggest gaps show up in gifts that offer flexibility, entertainment, or a better fit with dads’ personal interests.
Some clear examples from Drive Research’s 2026 Father’s Day survey are:
That mismatch is especially interesting because most gift givers have some level of confidence in their ability to choose a Father’s Day gift the recipient actually wants (98%).
Father’s Day may not carry the same level of household labor tension that we saw in the Mother’s Day survey, but the data still shows that many dads want some responsibility taken off their plate.
When asked which household responsibility they would most want removed on Father’s Day, fathers were most likely to say home improvement or yard work (26%), followed by cleaning (16%), running errands (15%), cooking (12%), and planning meals or activities (12%).
The workload shows up in how dads describe the day, too:
Still, the broader pattern looks different from Mother’s Day.
In our Mother’s Day research, nearly 1 in 3 moms said they were responsible for coordinating their own Mother’s Day plans. For Father’s Day, only 20% of dads say they are most responsible for coordinating the plans. Nearly half say their spouse or partner takes the lead.
That difference matters. It suggests fathers may be less likely than mothers to carry the planning burden for their own holiday, but a meaningful share still experience Father’s Day as something they help manage, not just enjoy.
Relationship status also changes the Father’s Day experience.
Among single, separated, divorced, and widowed fathers, 34% say they are most responsible for coordinating Father’s Day plans. Among married fathers, that drops to 15%.
Married fathers are much more likely to say their spouse or partner coordinates the day (62%), compared with 19% of single, separated, divorced, or widowed fathers.
Most people celebrating Father’s Day expect to spend less than $150 this year (66%).
The most common spending range is $50 to $99, selected by 25% of Father’s Day gift givers. Another 23% plan to spend $25 to $49, while 18% expect to spend $100 to $149. About 11% plan to spend less than $25, 6% expect to spend $150 to $199, and 9% plan to spend $200 or more.
According to Drive Research’s 2026 Mother’s Day and Father’s Day surveys, planned spending looks nearly identical for both holidays, with 44% of non-moms and 44% of non-dads expecting to spend $50 to $149.
The biggest difference appears at the higher end, where non-moms are twice as likely as non-dads to plan to spend $200 or more, 12% vs. 6%.
| Value | Percent of non-moms | Percent of non-dads |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $50 | 31% | 34% |
| $50 to $149 | 44% | 44% |
| $150 to $199 | 9% | 9% |
| $200 or more | 12% | 6% |
| Unsure or don’t plan to spend money | 4% | 7% |
Most Father’s Day planning starts a few weeks in advance. Among those who are not fathers but expect to celebrate Father’s Day, 45% say they typically start planning a few weeks ahead. Another 20% start more than a month in advance, while 19% start about a week ahead.
When it comes to gift ideas, most people rely on themselves.
About 60% say they come up with Father’s Day gift ideas on their own, while 37% say the person tells them what they want, 34% turn to family or friends, 31% browse in-store, and 30% rely on past gifts that worked well.
Social media (27%), search engines (23%), online gift guides or articles (20%), retailer websites (20%), and AI tools or chatbots (8%) play a role too, but they trail behind personal instinct and direct input.
A majority of people say yes. In our survey, 52% agreed that men who have pets can be considered fathers on Father’s Day, while 26% disagreed and 22% remained neutral.
This closely mirrors the Mother’s Day survey, where 53% agreed that women with pets can be considered mothers on Mother’s Day.
Together, the findings suggest pet parents are increasingly part of both holiday conversations, though the idea is not universally accepted.
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Drive Research in May 2026, among 1,096 adults (n427 fathers, n669 non-fathers, but expected to celebrate Father’s Day in 2026).
Drive Research is a global market research company specializing in custom-built, quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Our market research firm takes pride in making organizations more successful by extracting insights from the data we collect to accelerate business strategy.
