Don’t Judge Us! Unpopular Opinions in Consumer Behavior

If pineapple on pizza is wrong, we don’t want to be right! In our latest round of research-on-research, we asked respondents about some of the most unpopular opinions/activities we could think of… and their answers didn’t disappoint! Buckle up for some polarizing opinions.

Overall, eating breakfast for dinner is the least controversial of the opinions we asked about. In fact, it’s 28% more popular than any other opinion. Pouring milk before cereal is the most controversial with only 8% of people saying they do this. We also see that people are twice as likely to like pineapple on pizza than to eat black licorice. People are also 7% more likely to sleep with socks on than to dip fries in their milkshake.

Gender

When looking at gender, we see that compared to males, females are 4% more likely to like pineapple on pizza, 9% more likely to dip fries into a milkshake, and 15% more likely to eat breakfast for dinner.

If we take a closer look and cross-reference gender by geography, we see that males in the Midwest and females in the West are the most likely to eat black licorice. The West is still the most common region for eating pineapple on pizza, but there is a large split between gender with females in the West being 8% more likely than males in the west to eat pineapple on pizza. Females in any region are more likely than males to dip their fries in a milkshake and eat breakfast for dinner. Females in the West are the most likely to sleep with socks on (11% more likely than males in the same region.)

Age

When it comes to age, we see that the older a person is, the more likely they are to eat black licorice and the less likely they are to pour milk before cereal and dip fries into a milkshake. (People aged 63+ are 22% more likely to eat black licorice than people aged 18-29.) People aged 18-29 are the most likely to not like pineapple on pizza. Eating pineapple on pizza is the most common for people aged 30-49. (People aged 18-29 are 31% more likely than those aged 63+ to dip fries in their milkshake.)

Eating breakfast for dinner is most common for people aged 50-62 (5% more likely than any other age group) and least common for people aged 18-29 with a 16% difference between the two. Sleeping with socks on is the most popular among people between the ages of 40-62 and least common among people between the ages of 19-29 with a 10% difference between the two.

When looking at gender cross-referenced by age, we find that males and females aged 30-49 are the most likely to eat pineapple on pizza. Females aged 18-29 are the most likely to dip fries in a milkshake (17% more likely than males of the same age.) When it comes to eating breakfast for dinner, females ages 18-29 are 16% more likely to eat breakfast for dinner than males of that age group. Females aged 50+ are the most likely to sleep with socks on (11% more likely than females aged 18-29.)

Ethnicity

When it comes to ethnicity, we see that Caucasians are the most likely to eat black licorice (11% more likely than any other ethnicity besides those who identify as “other.”) Asians or South Asians are the most likely to like pineapple on pizza (7% more likely than any other ethnicity) and the most likely to pour milk before cereal. Caucasians are the second most likely to eat breakfast for dinner (12% more likely than any other ethnicity.) African Americans are the second most likely to sleep with socks on.

Region

Let’s take a minute to look at these controversial opinions by region. Here we see that eating black licorice is most common in the Midwest and West and is least common in the South. Pineapple on pizza is most common in the West (11% more likely than people in the Northeast.) Eating breakfast for dinner is more common in the Midwest and South and is least common in the West. In fact, people in the Midwest are 13% more likely to have breakfast for dinner than people in the West.

Panel

Finally, we looked at responses by panel. Panel C is the most likely to eat pineapple on their pizza and have breakfast for dinner. Panel E is the most likely to pour milk before cereal and dip fries into their milkshake. We see up to a 22% difference between panels. There is also up to a 14 point difference between panels of people who eat pineapple on pizza and up to an 11 point difference between panels of people who eat breakfast for dinner. These variations can be due to differences in panel makeup, management, incentive, and more.

As we see in this blog, consumer attitudes and behavior vary greatly by both demographic and panel. This can have a significant impact on your data. For example, if someone used only Panel E, they might think people are much more likely to dip fries into their milkshake than actually are. This is why strategic sample blending is the best practice to ensure any changes in your data are due to shifts in the market, not inconsistencies in your data.

To learn more about our research-on-research, check out The Sample Landscape: 2023 Edition!