What Your Favorite Condiment Reveals About Your Personality
A survey¹ commissioned by The Association for Dressings and Sauces reveals some interesting facts about consumers and condiment sauces. In this survey of 1,000 Americans completed by Synovate, salsa and ketchup tied for the favorite condiment with mayonnaise, salad dressing and barbecue sauce close behind. Mustard was the second favorite choice.
Find out what your favorite condiment sauce says about you:
Salsa Fanciers
Salsa’s strength is in the West, where consumers are more likely to love salsa, be frequent users and to have some on hand at home. One in four of the people surveyed named salsa as their favorite condiment. Compared to consumers in general, those who prefer salsa to any other condiment sauce are more likely to be extroverts. It is not surprising, then, that they are more likely to turn toward social activities in their spare time. Salsa-lovers are the most motivated of any other group. If it’s true that you are what you eat, then salsa lovers have that hot and spicy “kick” that motivates them like no other!
Mayonnaise Devotees
Mayonnaise has more appeal for women, and they are directionally more likely to use it, and use it more frequently, than men. Half of the consumers who named mayonnaise as their favorite condiment are introverted and are less likely to be competitive, athletic or risk-takers, while the other half rated themselves as the most ambitious of all condiment devotees. As such, mayo buffs are equally split between being social butterflies and leisure-lovers. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed use mayonnaise more often than any other condiment.
Barbecue Sauce Buffs
Men tend to use and enjoy barbecue sauce more than women. Northeasterners are less likely to use and like the sauce than consumers in other regions. A large percentage of the 18- to 24-age group says they “love” barbecue sauce and are heavy users. Barbecue sauce users are more extroverted than other condiment lovers and describe themselves as more creative, competitive, athletic and witty than any of the other condiment users.
Salad Dressing Connoisseurs
Salad dressings are more popular with women than men and twenty-five percent of those women “love” salad dressing and use it more than any other condiment sauce. It’s usage is strongest in the Northeast region of the U.S. and a large population of younger consumers, age 18 to 24, tend to like it best—81 percent of those surveyed. On average, consumers keep three bottles of salad dressing on hand. The majority of salad dressing lovers are more reserved and self-disciplined than any other group. Compared to other sauce lovers, they are more likely to spend their time pursuing creative endeavors such as crafts or photography.
Mustard Mavens
Mustard is the condiment that truly ties everyone together—among those surveyed, there are few significant differences in mustard liking among geographic or gender lines. Mustard usage is strongest among consumers age 35 to 64 and it also favored by those who consider themselves ambitious, self-disciplined and family-oriented. Mustard lovers also rate themselves as more shy than any other condiment-favoring group.
Hot Sauce Gourmets
If you are a man aged 18-34 living in the south or west, you probably prefer hot sauce to all other condiment sauces. You likely have 3 bottles of it on hand and are a competitive risk-taker. Nearly half of the hot sauce lovers surveyed prefer social activities such as hanging out with friends or family over all other activities. These guys are probably the life of the party. Hot Sauce lovers rated themselves as more happy, ambitious, spontaneous and risk-loving than other condiment users.
Horseradish Epicures
People who prefer horseradish over all other condiment sauces are mostly men who live in the northeast and Midwest and skew toward older consumers, age 55 years and older. Horseradish lovers are the most family-oriented of any group and also consider themselves more creative than the other condiment connoisseurs. Being family-oriented, it makes perfect “horse” sense that Horseradish epicures are most likely to be extroverted and prefer social activities.
¹The survey was conducted in 2002 by Omnibus for the Association for Dressings & Sauces.
