Way back in 2023, we published a popular study on peoples’ attitudes toward Pumpkin Spice. It allowed us to showcase the self-serve survey powers of Harris QuestDIY, a platform that brands can use to dig deep into consumer sentiment in 100+ countries.
A lot has happened since last year, but one thing has remained the same: the ubiquity of pumpkin spice, whether it’s the flavor of your latte or the aroma of your mom’s Yankee Candle.
We wondered, though... have feelings evolved in the past 12 months? And so we took another snapshot of public opinion, using QuestDIY to relaunch the same survey with a sample of 1,000 Americans on October 17, 2024.
The findings are relevant whether you’re a PSL-loving Starbucks fan or a brand considering the launch of a new Pumpkin Spice cologne. Here’s what we discovered.
Because of its popularity, Pumpkin Spice can often become a punching bag: It’s everywhere. It’s a mindless trend, like the cronut. It’s just basic.
Our respondents seemed fairly positive, or at least forgiving, of PS mania. (88% of whom say they’ve tried at least one pumpkin spice product in the past, and 21% purchase the products regularly when they’re available).
Only 23% of the overall group considers pumpkin spice to be “overrated” (down from 33% in our 2023 survey).
Here’s where things get interesting.
Back in 2023, the 65+ age group was the most likely to consider pumpkin spice “overrated” (with 40% of that cohort labeling it as such).
Fast-forward to 2024, and the older generations seem a bit more willing to jump on board the pumpkin-spice bandwagon. Only 26% of those 65+ year-olds surveyed now consider pumpkin spice to be “overrated.”
Like a lot of things—Mountain Dew VooDEW 5.0, the Super Bowl—Pumpkin Spice isn’t an in-your-face option all year round. This is likely part of its charm; we associate the flavor (and scent) with a certain time of year. It helps us mark the passing of time, and serves as drinkable nostalgia.
Okay, fine—maybe it’s just tasty.
Regardless, 33% of respondents said they wished pumpkin spice products were available all-year round (up from 27% of 2023’s respondents). 58% said they prefer if pumpkin spice is limited by seasonality.
The group most supportive of 24/7/365 pumpkin spice? That would be 45-to-54 year olds, 43% of whom were in favor of year-round pumpkin spice.
When many people think of pumpkin spice, it’s in the form of coffee or pastries. But we wanted to know what other edible products consumers would be open to trying in a PS-version.
Pumpkin spice ice cream (48% of respondents to a multi-select question), protein bars (32%), and popcorn (27%) were the most popular non-coffee-based treats.
But 14% of respondents were willing to dip into pumpkin-spice hummus (and indeed, a seasonal version of this popular Arab food is available at Trader Joe’s).
As to pumpkin-spice toothpaste, lip gloss, or scented hair gel—we’ll have to save those options for 2025’s survey.
In order to fill out our snapshot of public opinion, we posed a simple question: If you had to vote, would you say you loved pumpkin spice products or hated them? (There was also an option to ‘stay at home’ and refrain from voting—as in a real ‘election,’ we’ve excluded those who chose to ‘stay at home’ from the final data below).
Excluding those who sat out the vote, the love/hate divide in 2024 was 90% to 10%. (Back in 2023, it was 85%/15% love/hate.) That’s good news for any brands looking to keep things spicy in the coming years.
QuestDIY puts the power of surveys in your hands, allowing you to reach consumers in 100+ countries. Some people might even say it’s the pumpkin spice of DIY market-research platforms.
Deploy a survey in the morning and watch results stream back in real-time, with all responses completed in mere hours.
What’s more, QuestDIY’s AI Assistant helps draft and tweak your questions and answers so that you can write surveys with confidence, and do your best to avoid common market-research mistakes.
We’d love to show you how it works.
