In the ultimate Italian food face-off, pizza emerges as America’s clear favorite. CivicScience polling of over 19,000 respondents reveals that 62% of respondents choose pizza over pasta when forced to choose between these Italian staples, leaving pasta with 38% of the vote.
Where do you stand? Pizza or pasta? 🍕🍝
Unlike many food preferences that show dramatic generational shifts, the pizza-pasta divide remains relatively stable across age groups. The biggest pizza fans are found among middle-aged Americans, with both 30-44 and 45-64 year-olds showing 62-63% preference for pizza. Younger adults (18-29) come closest to an even split at 55% pizza versus 45% pasta, while seniors 65+ favor pizza at 58%. This consistency suggests pizza’s appeal transcends generational boundaries.
Men show a stronger pizza preference than women, with 64% choosing pizza compared to 52% of women, indicating gender may play a more significant role than age in this food choice.
Geographic and lifestyle patterns reveal some interesting variations. Urban dwellers lead the pizza preference at 66%, while rural Americans show the most balanced split at 52% pizza to 48% pasta. Regionally, the Midwest shows the strongest pizza preference at 67%, while the West comes closest to parity at 55% pizza versus 45% pasta.
Several lifestyle factors align with these Italian food preferences:
Pizza consumption habits: Interestingly, pasta lovers are actually more frequent pizza orderers, with 13% getting pizza weekly or more compared to just 10% of pizza preferrers. This suggests pasta fans may view pizza differently when it comes to dining out versus personal preference.
Musical tastes: Pizza enthusiasts lean heavily toward rock and classic rock (53% vs. 43% for pasta fans), while pasta lovers show more diverse musical preferences, with stronger representation in pop (23% vs. 15%) and country music (22% vs. 21%).
Fitness routines: Pasta supporters maintain more active lifestyles, with 30% running or jogging weekly compared to 23% of pizza fans. This could reflect different approaches to balancing indulgent foods with exercise.
Review engagement: Pasta fans are more research-oriented consumers, with 22% using review services weekly versus 16% of pizza supporters, suggesting they may put more thought into their dining decisions.
The pizza versus pasta preference extends beyond simple taste to reflect broader lifestyle patterns around activity levels, dining habits, and consumer behavior. While pizza dominates nationwide, the differences in how each group approaches food, fitness, and decision-making suggest these Italian classics attract distinctly different types of food lovers.
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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.