If the Census Bureau issued an annual Index of Permanent Adolescence, one key component would be the percentage of adults who dress up for Halloween. That is, after all, one of the more conspicuous indications of people’s refusal to become full-fledged adults even as they move through their 20s and beyond. A poll by Rasmussen Reports finds “only” 18 percent of adults planning to be in costume on Wednesday, down a shade from last year’s 20 percent. A Gallup survey, meanwhile, finds 27 percent of adult-only households planning to spend money on costumes this year. And in a BIGresearch poll fielded last month for the National Retail Federation, 34 percent of adults said they intended to dress up. Among these merry-makers, the most popular costume choices were witch, pirate, vampire, cat and princess. The once-popular “French maid” look has dropped into a tie for 18th place. Too grown-up, presumably.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver