This National Hot Dog Day, one great debate continues to swirl: Does ketchup belong on hot dogs? Depending on where you live, the answer can be a passionate and resounding “No!” But new CivicScience polling among more than 20,000 U.S. adults finds a firm answer to this question. In fact, the vast majority (70%) are supportive of putting ketchup on hot dogs, including more than one-third (36%) who said ‘I love ketchup on my hot dogs’ (excluding other/no opinion). Despite the hefty percentage in favor, not all Americans agree.
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The majority of all U.S. adult age groups support ketchup as a hot dog topping, though support decreases with age. For example, 77% of Gen Z adults aged 18-29 support ketchup on hot dogs, 22 percentage points higher than the rate among Boomers 65+ (55%). Men are five points more likely than women to enjoy ketchup on their hot dogs (71% to 66%, respectively). Employment situation (working in-person vs. remote) also has a role to play. While the majority of employed workers back ketchup on hot dogs, those working fully in-person are more than twice as likely as fully-remote workers to say they don’t like ketchup on hotdogs (30% to 14%).
Beyond demographics, dining and takeout frequency appears to have an interesting role to play in preference. As the data show, there appears to be a connection between those who order out three or more times per week and those who order just once or twice weekly. Those who enjoy ketchup on hot dogs are nearly twice as likely as those who don’t like ketchup on their hotdogs to order food out three times per week or more.
Also in the food category, those who do NOT support ketchup on hot dogs are slightly more likely to say they enjoy eating spicy food (66% to 64%, respectively). This who oppose ketchup on hotdogs are also more likely to say they ‘love to cook’ (24%) than those who enjoy ketchup on their hotdogs (20%). It seems those who skip the ketchup might be trading sweetness for spice—and spending more time behind the stove.
While ketchup may be controversial in some circles, most Americans are firmly in favor—though taste preferences, age, work life, and even how often you order takeout all play a role in where you land. One thing’s for sure: when it comes to hot dogs, the condiment conversation is far from over.
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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.