September 18th is National Cheeseburger day! With burgers on the mind, CivicScience cooked up a fresh look at where Americans stand when it comes to fast food chains’ “signature” burgers. And never was there a stronger rivalry in the fast food burger world than that of Burger King’s Whopper versus McDonald’s Big Mac. These two classics have gone head to head for decades, and they continue to lead in popularity among those who eat major fast-food signature burgers. Currently, Whopper fans outpace Big Mac fans by just five percentage points (31% to 26%, respectively) and these each outpace other burger options by at least 8pp (among those who eat burgers, excluding ‘no opinion’).Given their dominance in preference, how do fans of the Big Mac and Whopper stack up against each other and their burger rivals among burger eaters? Keep reading to find out.
A Difference of Opinion: Men are four percentage points more likely to prefer a Whopper, while women are seven percentage points more likely to prefer a Big Mac.
Baby Boomers vs. Gen Z: Age also plays a role, with 42% of Baby Boomers opting for a Whopper–more than double that of Gen Z. Meanwhile, Gen Z leads with Big Mac love, outpacing Baby Boomers by 12 percentage points.
Lunch Break: While both Whoppers and Big Macs are popular among those working fully in-person, those who are working fully in-person are twice as likely as those working fully remote to prefer a Whopper (28% vs 14%). Those working fully in-person who prefer a Big Mac outpace fully remote workers by 25 percentage points.
Brand Loyalty: When it comes to brand loyalty and why they’re loyal to the brands they buy, Whopper fans are more likely to prioritize quality, while Big Mac fans seek out convenience.
Car Time: Hours spent in the car could play a role in how loyal customers are, as Whopper fans are 19 percentage points more likely to spend an hour or less in the car each day than their Big Mac counterparts.
Clearly fans of these two burger giants are as distinct as the sandwiches themselves. The only question is: which will you order?
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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.