December 13 marks one of two National Hot Cocoa days, with the other falling in January. As that day approaches, CivicScience examined self-declared data comparing those who prefer hot chocolate with those who prefer hot cider. The data show two-thirds of U.S. adults say they prefer hot chocolate over hot cider, led by Americans 45+. Gen Z, aged 18-29, meanwhile, are the most likely to say they would rather drink a cup of hot cider. Beyond demographics, the hot cocoa and cider segments diverge significantly in terms of other behavioral and lifestyle choices. Keep reading to explore them.

Here’s what else CivicScience data has to say when honing in specifically on how hot cocoa and cider fans compare to each other:

Day-to-Day Decisions: Nearly half (46%) of those who prefer hot chocolate over hot cider say they are ‘more of a planner’ in their daily decision making, compared to 33% of cider fans. Conversely, 46% of those who prefer hot cider say they are ‘more spontaneous’, outpacing cocoa fans by 23 points.

Online Review Services: Hot cider fans are nearly twice as likely to report using online review services, such as Yelp, and are more than twice as likely to use them at least weekly. 

Hot Sauce on Pizza: Forty-eight percent of Americans who prefer hot cider say they ‘frequently’ or ‘sometimes’ put hot sauce on their pizza, outpacing hot chocolate fans by 15 points.

Food Bar Consumption Habits: Those who tell CivicScience they prefer hot cider are twice as likely as those who prefer hot chocolate to eat snack, health, diet, or supplement bars on any sort of basis, and are nearly 20 points more likely than hot chocolate fans to eat them at least weekly. 

Splurging on Themselves: A majority of both segments like to spend on themselves for a treat. Hot chocolate fans are twice as likely to say they splurge on themselves with a clothes shopping spree. Hot cider fans, meanwhile, are 10 points more likely to splurge on expensive liquor. 

While a preference for hot chocolate or hot cider might seem like a simple seasonal choice, the data reveal that these preferences serve as surprisingly strong proxies for deeply contrasting consumer behaviors and psychological profiles. Ultimately, these two segments represent more than just competing beverage markets; they embody two distinct approaches to daily life, suggesting that understanding a consumer’s preferred winter beverage can offer a valuable, easily accessible shortcut for predicting their engagement with technology, purchasing motivations, and overall decision-making style.

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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.