CHICAGO — As summer road trip season heats up, Americans are reaching for Cheez-It® and Pringles® as their go-to travel snacks, according to a new national survey from Kellanova. The study, which polled 2,000 U.S. adults with recent or upcoming road trips, reveals that these iconic brands appeal across all generations, with each age group showing distinct snacking preferences.
Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here
"All generations crave Cheez-It and Pringles, but how and why they snack differs widely," said Julia Wilkinson, Senior Director of Insights at Kellanova. “Gen Z is all about bold and spicy flavors, while Millennials prioritize family-friendly options. Gen X and Boomers lean into classic salty-sweet combos and keep their packing simple.”
Generational Highlights:
- Gen Z is more likely than any other generation to want adventurous snack flavors, such as sour and bitter along with savory and spicy! Preferring to travel with a group of friends versus solo, they say shareability is essential.
- Millennials are more likely to gravitate towards tangy flavors, but their top choices are salty, sweet and cheesy flavors. With the majority traveling with kids, their top priority is bringing snacks for the whole family to enjoy. In fact, four out of 10 respondents say their kids are munching every mile!
- Gen X is up for anything: crackers, chips and protein snacks like beef jerky. Overall, they prefer sweet, salty and chocolatey flavors and, when not traveling with kids, they want to hit the road with a travel buddy.
- Boomers choose salty, sweet and chocolatey flavors and chips, nuts & seeds and salty snack mixes. Most travel solo or with a friend or partner, and they are more likely than other generation to buy snacks at stops along the way.
Regional Tastes:
- The Most Spontaneous: The South stocks up along the journey and prefers salty, sweet and chocolatey snacks.
- More Cheese, Please: Northeasterners are twice as likely to eat something creamy-flavored compared to Midwesterners. Don't count them out, though: one out of three Midwesterners rank cheesy-flavored snacks in their "Top 3."
- Almost Anything Goes: Those living in the Mountain West and Pacific Coast usually leave snack planning to others and are happy to eat whatever is available when they're hungry. But that doesn't mean they don't have their favorites, with salty, sweet and chocolatey flavors in their "Top 3."
The Summer Road Trip Snacking Survey was conducted via Kellanova’s proprietary Sight-X platform and aims to uncover how Americans snack on the go.
Explore the full results and interactive content here: Kellanova Summer Road Trip Survey.
