Politics, sports teams and religious preferences are all topics ripe for heated conversation among Americans, but another debate can also divide families and friends--which ice cream flavor is the best. Granted, for most consumers, the choice is not cut-and-dried; in fact, it often is a matter of choosing from a host of favorites. Harris Interactive has surveyed 2,183 American adults to discover America’s favorite ice cream flavor and found chocolate barely edged out vanilla (28% to 26%), with 22% preferring cookie dough/cookies and cream.
Conducted July 11-18, 2011, the survey found nearly one in five Americans (19%, to be precise) favor butter pecan/Swiss almond, with mint chocolate chip garnering 15% of the vote. However, favorites would appear to break down along political lines. Nearly a third of Republicans (32%) say chocolate is their favorite flavor, with only 28% citing vanilla, and 24% opting for cookie dough/cookies and cream. Among Democrats, the race is a bit closer, with vanilla barely ahead of chocolate (26% to 23%) and butter pecan/Swiss almond close behind with 22%. Independents’ top choices are chocolate (30%), cookie dough/cookies and cream (24%) and vanilla (22%).