Are April Fools' Pranks Amusing or Annoying?

Be careful who you play a trick on today, not everyone revels in April Fool’s Day pranks. YouGov polled over 4,000 U.S. adults last week to see whether they were looking forward to the first of April and all the jokes or mishaps it may bring. Respondents between the ages of 25 and 34 had the biggest gap between the April Fools supporters and opponents. Over half of respondents found a prank amusing, while a third found it annoying—the highest consensus among all age groups. There was less agreement among other age groups. Across the board there was almost an even split between those who found pranks annoying and those who found them amusing.

How April Fools came to be is unclear, but some historians believe that April Fools’ began as a custom in France during the 1500s when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1st, during the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. People who continued to celebrate the now fake New Year’s on April 1st were referred to as “April Fools” and subjected to trickery. The spirit of the day continues in France and Italy as “Poission d’Avril” or “Pesce d’Aprile,” where children tape paper fish to their friends’ backs as a trick.