Summertime is prime time for cookouts, picnics, and backyard barbeques–culinary events that often lean on an abundance of sides. And while salads can be eaten year-round, it’s safe to say that summer–peak season for fresh vegetables–is the best time to get your fix.
However, not all salads are created equal–or even created using the same ingredients. In fact, there is an entire category of salads that do not use leafy greens at all. Among non-leafy summer salads, potato salad wins Americans’ love by a landslide (37%), outpacing all other options–such as chicken salad, macaroni salad, and egg salad–by a minimum of 20 percentage points.
Men, as well as adults aged 65 and older, lead with their love of the creamy dish. It’s also slightly more popular among low-income earners than all others.
But age and income only scratch the surface. When you look more deeply at the data, a love for potato salad correlates with incredibly specific lifestyle habits. Here is a look at how potato salad devotees truly stand out from the crowd:
Public Transportation Usage: While 19% of potato salad fans use public transportation three or more times per week, just 8% of macaroni salad fans say the same.
An Eye for Quality: Potato salad fans are 20 percentage points more likely than egg salad fans to be loyal to a company due to the brand’s quality (53% vs 33%).
Car Preferences: While 35% of potato salad fans primarily drive an SUV, just 25% of chicken salad fans say the same.
Water Consumption: Potato salad fans are 10 percentage points more likely than egg salad fans to consume unfiltered tap or well water (26% vs 16%).
Holiday Shopping: Among holiday shoppers, potato salad fans are 10 percentage points more likely than chicken salad fans to have already begun their shopping (22% vs 12%).
Where do you stand? Take this poll now and see how your preference compares with other Americans:
Clearly, a love of potato salad doesn’t just distinguish your palate at the cookout, it reveals unique consumer behaviors that extend far beyond the plate.
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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.
