O Psychological Reports 1991
Psychological Reports, 1991, 69, 1165-1166
TASTE PREFERENCE FOR BRUSSELS SPROUTS: AN INFORMAL LOOK ' JOHN TRINKAUS AND KAREN DENNIS Baruch College Summary.-An inquiry of the taste preference of 442 business students for brussels sprouts showed about a 50% dislike of the vegetable, 40% indifference, and a 10% like. Some implications of the findings are suggested. There are a number of health-related reasons-such as allergic reaction, digestive intolerance, and weight induction-as to why people do not eat certain foods. In addition, some stay away from particular eatables simply because they do not like them. In 1986 the Roper organization asked a sample of about 2000 adults to read down a list of foods and to call off those that they personally hate to eat in any form because they dislike them (1). Approximately 28% of the respondents indicated a negative reaction to consuming brussels sprouts, one of the 17 foods in the grouping. To gather some additional insight into people's like or dislike of brussels sprouts-in particular whether this might well be a food with low taste indifference by consumers (you either Like them or dislike them), a written survey was conducted, in the spring of 1991, among firstyear baccalaureate students at a large business school in the northeast. The dass was primarily nonwhite, coming mostly from a home environment where the parents are married, high school graduates, working in blue collar or business jobs, and living together; a language other than English is normally spoken; the median family income is less than $20,000 a year; and the value of a college education is perceived as a means for a better job and upward socioeconomic mobility. A total of 442 students out of a convenience sample of 607 opted to respond to the voluntary written query: a response rate of 73%. The composition of the responding group, which approximated the about 1600 person universe, was as follows: 60% women and 40% men; 49% US nationals and 51% foreigners; 3% less than 18 years of age, 61% 18 to 20 years, 18% 2 1 to 23 years, and 18% older than 23 years of age. The students were asked for a single answer to the following query, in my opinion brussels sprouts are (a) very repulsive, (b) somewhat repulsive, (c) something that I can either take or leave, (d) somewhat delicious, or (e) especially delicious. The findings for the group (collectively) and (stratified) by sex and nationality are shown in Table 1 and by age in Table 2. TABLE 1 NUMBER OF RESWNSES AND PERCENT FORTOTALITY, BY SW(, AND Response
Very Repulsive Somewhat Repulsive Indifferent Somewhat Delicious Especially Delicious
Total Group Women (n = 442) ( n =266) % n a n 31 20 41 6 2
137 88 181 27 9
30 20 43 6 1
80 53 114 16 3
Men (n = 176) % n 34 19 38 8 1
60 33 67 14 2
BY
CITIZENSHIP
US National (n = 217) % n 40 19 36 4 1
87 41 78 9 2
Foreign (n = 225) n 22 20 46 10 2
50 45 104 23 3
'Address correspondence to J. Trinkaus, Ph.D., Baruch College, 17 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
1166
J. TRINKAUS & K. DENNIS TABLE 2
RESPONSES AND PERCENTS BY AGE Response
Very Repulsive Somewhat Repulsive Indifferent Somewhat Delicious Especiallv Delicious
< 18 yr. In = 15) % n
18 to 20 yr. (n = 270) % n
54 20 14 12 0
36 12 45 6 1
8 3 2 2 0
97 32 122 16 3
21 to 23 yr. (n = 77) % n 34 22 28 15 1
26 17 21 12 1
>23 yr. (n = 80) 8 n 0 27 44 25 4
0 22 35 20 3
The results suggest that brussels sprouts do not exhibit low taste indifference by consumers; over-all, about 40% of the respondents said that they neither like nor dislike them. The approximately 50% who said that they consider brussels sprouts to be repulsive, is about 20 percentage points higher than the finding reported in the Roper poll. Stratifying by sex, nationality, and age generally does not suggest any marked dissimilarities (except for the group over 23 years old)-the difference noted in the less than 18-year-old group might well be attributable to the small sample. As to the apparent greater acceptability of brussels sprouts by older students, two possible explanations may be suggested. First, being older, they may have more experience with the vegetable, for example, having actually tried it, rather than classdying it as repugnant simply because of its name or reputation. Second, being older, the group may have eaten more brussels sprouts and found that after a while they began to like the taste. It is recognized that the methodology was Limited, in particular the simple reply format which did not provide an indication of the dietary history or the specific cultural and ethnic backgrounds of the respondents. Too, there is the inherent restraint on replication of the work and the intrinsic presence of setting bias on the findings. However, the results appear to suggest substantial rejection of brussels sprouts. In light of numerous calls for people to improve the nutritional content of their diets, in particular leafy green vegetables, a closer look as to why brussels sprouts are relatively distasteful to so many may be warranted. If brussels sprouts are intrinsically repulsive to the taste buds of a lot of people, aggressive marketing campaigns may be relatively ineffective in increasing consumption. However, if rejection is basically the result of unfamiliarity with the vegetable or acceptance of a conventional wisdom that says brussels sprouts do not taste good, then much might be expected of a concerted effort to raise the positive profile of brussels sprouts. REFERENCE 1 . Roper Report 86-5, Question R65. Storrs, C T Roper Organization, July 31, 1986.
Accepted November 29, 1991.
Psychological Reports, 1991, 69, 1165-1166
TASTE PREFERENCE FOR BRUSSELS SPROUTS: AN INFORMAL LOOK ' JOHN TRINKAUS AND KAREN DENNIS Baruch College Summary.-An inquiry of the taste preference of 442 business students for brussels sprouts showed about a 50% dislike of the vegetable, 40% indifference, and a 10% like. Some implications of the findings are suggested. There are a number of health-related reasons-such as allergic reaction, digestive intolerance, and weight induction-as to why people do not eat certain foods. In addition, some stay away from particular eatables simply because they do not like them. In 1986 the Roper organization asked a sample of about 2000 adults to read down a list of foods and to call off those that they personally hate to eat in any form because they dislike them (1). Approximately 28% of the respondents indicated a negative reaction to consuming brussels sprouts, one of the 17 foods in the grouping. To gather some additional insight into people's like or dislike of brussels sprouts-in particular whether this might well be a food with low taste indifference by consumers (you either Like them or dislike them), a written survey was conducted, in the spring of 1991, among firstyear baccalaureate students at a large business school in the northeast. The dass was primarily nonwhite, coming mostly from a home environment where the parents are married, high school graduates, working in blue collar or business jobs, and living together; a language other than English is normally spoken; the median family income is less than $20,000 a year; and the value of a college education is perceived as a means for a better job and upward socioeconomic mobility. A total of 442 students out of a convenience sample of 607 opted to respond to the voluntary written query: a response rate of 73%. The composition of the responding group, which approximated the about 1600 person universe, was as follows: 60% women and 40% men; 49% US nationals and 51% foreigners; 3% less than 18 years of age, 61% 18 to 20 years, 18% 2 1 to 23 years, and 18% older than 23 years of age. The students were asked for a single answer to the following query, in my opinion brussels sprouts are (a) very repulsive, (b) somewhat repulsive, (c) something that I can either take or leave, (d) somewhat delicious, or (e) especially delicious. The findings for the group (collectively) and (stratified) by sex and nationality are shown in Table 1 and by age in Table 2. TABLE 1 NUMBER OF RESWNSES AND PERCENT FORTOTALITY, BY SW(, AND Response
Very Repulsive Somewhat Repulsive Indifferent Somewhat Delicious Especially Delicious
Total Group Women (n = 442) ( n =266) % n a n 31 20 41 6 2
137 88 181 27 9
30 20 43 6 1
80 53 114 16 3
Men (n = 176) % n 34 19 38 8 1
60 33 67 14 2
BY
CITIZENSHIP
US National (n = 217) % n 40 19 36 4 1
87 41 78 9 2
Foreign (n = 225) n 22 20 46 10 2
50 45 104 23 3
'Address correspondence to J. Trinkaus, Ph.D., Baruch College, 17 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
1166
J. TRINKAUS & K. DENNIS TABLE 2
RESPONSES AND PERCENTS BY AGE Response
Very Repulsive Somewhat Repulsive Indifferent Somewhat Delicious Especiallv Delicious
< 18 yr. In = 15) % n
18 to 20 yr. (n = 270) % n
54 20 14 12 0
36 12 45 6 1
8 3 2 2 0
97 32 122 16 3
21 to 23 yr. (n = 77) % n 34 22 28 15 1
26 17 21 12 1
>23 yr. (n = 80) 8 n 0 27 44 25 4
0 22 35 20 3
The results suggest that brussels sprouts do not exhibit low taste indifference by consumers; over-all, about 40% of the respondents said that they neither like nor dislike them. The approximately 50% who said that they consider brussels sprouts to be repulsive, is about 20 percentage points higher than the finding reported in the Roper poll. Stratifying by sex, nationality, and age generally does not suggest any marked dissimilarities (except for the group over 23 years old)-the difference noted in the less than 18-year-old group might well be attributable to the small sample. As to the apparent greater acceptability of brussels sprouts by older students, two possible explanations may be suggested. First, being older, they may have more experience with the vegetable, for example, having actually tried it, rather than classdying it as repugnant simply because of its name or reputation. Second, being older, the group may have eaten more brussels sprouts and found that after a while they began to like the taste. It is recognized that the methodology was Limited, in particular the simple reply format which did not provide an indication of the dietary history or the specific cultural and ethnic backgrounds of the respondents. Too, there is the inherent restraint on replication of the work and the intrinsic presence of setting bias on the findings. However, the results appear to suggest substantial rejection of brussels sprouts. In light of numerous calls for people to improve the nutritional content of their diets, in particular leafy green vegetables, a closer look as to why brussels sprouts are relatively distasteful to so many may be warranted. If brussels sprouts are intrinsically repulsive to the taste buds of a lot of people, aggressive marketing campaigns may be relatively ineffective in increasing consumption. However, if rejection is basically the result of unfamiliarity with the vegetable or acceptance of a conventional wisdom that says brussels sprouts do not taste good, then much might be expected of a concerted effort to raise the positive profile of brussels sprouts. REFERENCE 1 . Roper Report 86-5, Question R65. Storrs, C T Roper Organization, July 31, 1986.
Accepted November 29, 1991.
