Super Bowl food more important than game to many Americans: poll

Fewer than half of Americans care which team wins the big game, a new study suggests.

According to a survey of 2,000 American adults over the age of 21, less than half care which football team will come out on top in February (48%).

The results revealed that one in four respondents are more interested in the food than the game, and 54% believe that the food spread has the power to make or break the entire experience.

Food was also found to be more exciting than commercials (38%) or halftime shows (47%).

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of TUMS, the survey aimed to discover the best foods across a range of categories to pair with football.

The top three must-have foods for a successful game viewing party are buffalo and/or hot wings (49%), barbecue (37%) and seven-layer dip (36%).

Six in 10 respondents will host or attend a game day party, and if they did, more than half would plan the menu of what they would serve to guests at least a month in advance.

According to the survey, this menu would also mix sweet and savory foods, as they rank high on the must-have list – including nachos (30%), cookies (25%) and chips (24%).

Looking at the “best” food brackets to watch the big game, respondents shared their top picks for the spicy category: wings are once again king in this category (50%), followed by jalapeño poppers (29%) and chili (24%).

All categories considered, the top “drafts” for the perfect plate of food to watch the game start with barbecue (34%), paired with wings (33%), seven-layer dip (24%) and brownies (22%) .

Chicken wings (22%), nachos (21%) and pizza (20%) were also top 10 foods people would want on their plate.

However, big game watchers said their favorites often come with a price: constant eating during football games also comes with unpleasant symptoms, including heartburn (22%), indigestion (16%) and stomach upset associated with those symptoms (17%).

Spicy foods like buffalo wings (37%), buffalo chicken (25%), barbecue (24%), chili (23%) and jalapeno poppers (22%) are some of the main foods that contribute to it.

And while 43% would avoid eating these foods knowing these potential effects, a similar percentage would eat them (44%).

In fact, nearly one in four experience occasional heartburn from the foods they eat on game day, and nearly a third hope their big party host has antacids on hand, while another in four will keep them in hand itself.

However, tasty snacks aren’t the only thing giving respondents a hard time during the big game: one in seven admit to heartburn from their team’s poor performance, and a similar percentage say the same about when they have to go to the toilet. during an important moment in the game (17%).

THE NECESSARY FOODS FOR THE BIG GAME

1. Buffalo and/or hot wings – 49%
2. Barbecue – 37%
3. 7 layer diving – 36%
4. Pizza – 30%
5. Baked chicken and/or chips – 30%

THE MAIN GAME FOODS OF THE DAY THAT PROMOTE HEARTBURN

1. Buffalo and/or hot wings – 37%
2. buffalo chicken dip – 25%
3. Barbecue – 24%
4. chili – 23%
5. Jalapeno poppers – 22%

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans ages 21-43; the survey was commissioned by TUMS and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between December 5 and December 10, 2024.