Maps of America can be incredibly revealing. Whether it’s analysing the number of voters likely to support the cheesy Wotsit currently occupying the Oval Office in 2020, or something as innocent as who tuned in to the Game of Thrones season finale, they can tell us a lot about what the country might be getting up to. With Halloween just around the corner, digital cartographers are delving into their records once again, and are coming up with some fascinating insights about what everyone’s likely to be eating.
A new map of the 50 states commissioned by gadgetry Ebay alternative “Bid on Equipment” has unearthed which sweet treats citizens prefer, according to location. The data, which was gathered from over 2000 participants and based on Google search terms, has unearthed some fascinating findings and highlighted that there really are very few things on which everyone agrees.
Although the information gathered was far from conclusive, it certainly pointed to some interesting patterns of behaviour. For starters, it was clear that chocolate was the prefered treat of choice, with only 10-states choosing something other than a chocolate-based snack for their candy favourite. Of these 10, three opted for Hot Tamales, while AirHeads, Nerds, Red Hots, SweetTarts, Swedish Fish, Jolly Rancher and Gummy Worms all took one state respectively.
Try our delicious Baileys Halloween Cheesecake:There was also a clear preference among chocolates, with peanut butter specialists Reese’s stealing top spot in a whopping 12 states. At the head of the chasing pack came Chocolate M&M’s with eight states, while Milk Duds and Snickers both tied for the bronze medal on five states each.
However, popular candy choices weren’t the only insight revealed by the research. According to the official report write up on bid-on-equipment.com:
“According to respondents, ideal trick-or-treating hours are 6 to 9 p.m. and trick-or-treaters age out of the tradition at 15 years old. Staying out past bedtime on a school night doesn’t bother most participants - almost half say that the holiday shouldn’t be moved to the last Saturday in October.”
It just goes to show that can even be tricky to get people to agree on something as innocent as how to celebrate Halloween.
This article originally appeared on twistedfood.co.uk