Attention Presidential candidates: the way to win votes may be through your supporters’ stomachs. And when it comes to Republicans versus Democrats, it’s carnivores versus salads and ethnic foods.
Consumer perception research firm YouGov’s newest Profiles product drew data examining the favorite dishes for each of the Presidential candidates’ fans.
The dominant theme for Republican candidates is meat – mostly pork, and some steak. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz fans favor pork: both groups of supporters cite both “pork chops” and “pork chops and fries” as two of their favorite dishes.
Cruz supporters also name BBQ brisket, steak with a baked potato, and Swiss steak as favorite dishes.
Trump fans prefer pork across the board: their other favorite dishes are ham steaks and, scalloped potatoes with ham, and bacon sandwiches.
Marco Rubio supporters share two favorite foods in common with Trump’s: scalloped potatoes with ham, and pork chops with fries. Other than those, Rubio fans seem to be regulars at the delicatessen: submarine sandwiches, cherry cobblers, and cole slaw are their other dishes of choice.
The Democratic Presidential candidates’ supporters’ favorite dishes almost avoid meat altogether, and have only one dish in common – pizza margherita.
However, their preferences reflect their constituencies quite well.
For Hillary Clinton, they’re smitten with regional dishes (collard greens and shrimp fried rice) and fancier fare (vichyssoise and cucumber salad). Bernie Sanders supporters go for zucchini fritters, saag paneer, spinach salad and stuffing.
According to Profiles data, if there’s one thing Republican Presidential supporters are united on, it’s their belief that “success in America is more a result of hard work than good fortune…” while their favorite clothing brands and dining chains are Cabelas and Chick-Fil-A respectively.
Supporters of the Democratic candidates agree with the statement “I like to surround myself with a diverse range of cultures and ideas.” Hillary Clinton supporters like the hip hop-influenced Ecko Unltd while Bernie Sanders supporters prefer their Asics running shoes and activewear. Church’s is the food chain of choice for Clinton’s minions while Sanders scores with Starbucks.
Profiles collects and connects data on demographics, attitudes and opinions, brand usage and perception, media consumption, lifestyle, and social media and digital engagement. Profiles is comprised of more than 200,000 of the most active YouGov panelists. The data is updated continuously and weighted appropriately to represent a nationally representative sample.
Presidential Candidate Supporters: Preferences
