Snacks can be some of life’s greatest joys, filling the gap between meals when empty stomachs start craving a little something to keep them going. But not all snackers have the same tastes. And the data show that your particular snacking preferences say much more about you than you might expect. 

Currently, the largest percentage (36%) enjoys salty snacks like chips and pretzels. Meanwhile, sweet snacks like candy and chocolate (27%) just barely edge out healthy snacks like fruit and nuts (26%) for second and third. 

While those who prefer salty snacks skew male, those who prefer sweet snacks skew female. Age and income also come into play, as younger adults and low-income earners lead in a preference for sweet snacks. A love of salty snacks, however, does not vary much across age groups. 

However, this demographic data is just the beginning of what sets each category of snack eater apart from the rest. Here’s what the data show: 

Shopping Malls: Those who prefer healthy snacks like fruit or nuts are eight percentage points more likely to enjoy outdoor shopping malls than those who enjoy sweet snacks (20% vs 12%). 

Restaurant Preferences: While 38% of those who prefer healthy snacks like to eat at independent or local restaurants, just 29% of those who like salty snacks say the same. 

Pre-or-Post Trip Fridge Cleaning: More than half of salty snack fans say they clean their refrigerator before going on a trip, outpacing sweet snack fans with the same tendency by eight percentage points (51% vs 43%). 

Sleeping with Socks: Among those with an opinion, those who prefer sweet snacks are the most likely to enjoy sleeping with socks, outpacing all others by at least five percentage points. 

Financial Literacy: While 33% of those who opt for healthy snacks say they are ‘very’ financially literate, just 24% of those who choose sweet snacks say the same (excluding ‘I don’t know). 

Clearly, the kind of snacks you choose aren’t just linked to your palate, but to a wide variety of other consumer behaviors, in all areas of your life.

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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.