October 27th, 2022, Hoang Nguyen
With the midterm elections and Thanksgiving dinners taking place in November, it may be difficult to escape partisan bickering and the red-blue divide this holiday season.
Party lines can have a big impact on Americans’ views of brands, especially when brands regularly weigh in on social and political issues these days.
But rather than focus on how people’s political views may lead them in different directions, YouGov seeks to explore the places where Democrats and Republicans can share a meal and the alcohol brands that they both could raise a glass to.
In a new analysis, Branding Together: America's Most Bipartisan Fast Food & Alcohol, we identify the fast food, fast casual, beer, and wine brands that are equally or nearly equally considered by Americans on both sides of the political aisle.
YouGov asked Democrats and Republicans about the brands they are likely to consider purchasing from the next time they are in the market to purchase food and drinks. To earn a spot on the list, the minimum sample size for a brand is at least 100 and minimum Consideration for at least one of the groups is at least 10%. We identified the brands with the smallest delta between Dems and Reps, with the ones to earn a spot on the list being less than or close to a 1 percentage-point difference. The brands are then ranked by overall Consideration among all US consumers.
Let’s look at the fast food, fast casual and alcohol brands with broad appeal among both Democrats and Republicans.
Where’s the political beef? You likely won't find it at Wendy’s.
Perhaps fittingly, the fast food/fast casual chain that Democrats and Republicans seem to both agree on has the two parties’ colors (red and blue) in its logo. Wendy’s tops YouGov’s list of most bipartisan fast food/fast-casual restaurants with a Consideration rate of 33% across Democrats, Republicans and US consumers overall.
Democrats and Republicans also share a taste for different types of foods too, with chains known for their sandwiches (Subway), tacos (Taco Bell), breakfast (IHOP) and fried chicken (KFC) all making the top five list of most bipartisan fast food/fast casual restaurants.
Don’t see McDonald’s? That’s because despite it being the top considered fast food restaurant in the US with a 38% Consideration rate among all US adults, there’s a 4 percentage-point difference between Democrats' (41%) and Republicans' (37%) Consideration for the popular brand.
Cheers to Barefoot Wine for bridging the red-blue divide
Among beer and wine brands, Barefoot Wine has the highest overall Consideration rate among all US adults and the smallest difference in Consideration among Democrats and Republicans. Other wine brands to earn a spot on the list include runner-up Sutter Home, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Kendall Jackson and Robert Mondavi Winery.
For those looking for the least polarizing alcoholic malt beverages to share around the table this upcoming holiday season, YouGov Profiles data suggests a few safe choices are Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Samuel Adams, Budweiser, Guinness and Miller Lite.
Using YouGov Profiles Lite, a free audience intelligence platform, the report goes deeper to look at fans of each of the 20 bipartisan fast food and alcohol brands and measure how their attitudes and psychographics in specific regions—the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West—differ from the rest of the nation.
Download the full Branding Together: America's Most Bipartisan Fast Food & Alcohol report here
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